The lift
industry is well known for taking health and safety highly seriously, which in
turn, explains why lifts are the unheralded but obviously safest form of
mechanical transport. Best practice and the key to perfecting lift maintenance
are planned regular servicing to maintain safety standards as well as
prolonging the life of lifts and decreasing downtime. In this blog, we shed
some light on a few of the things for you to know about lift services.
What will a service visit involve?
During a
service visit, an engineer will oversee the safety features on the lift, as
well as cleaning, lubricating and adjusting all components for the best
possible performance. An engineer would then carry out a service screen on his
laptop, stating the work carried out and detailing any comments such as suggested
repairs or works of improvement not covered by any contract. A report needs to
be issued after each engineer visit to be used as a maintenance record.
Will my lift be out of action while an
inspection or service is taking place?
In almost
any scenario - yes. The engineer has to check many items within the shaft or
structure and motor room and so the lift will be ‘out of service’ while the
engineer is on site.
Keeping up with regulations
Lift rules
and regulations are often evolving to improve the lift industry and its
maintenance practices. The strict but impactful guidelines permit facilities
managers to maintain safe lift systems all over the UK, adhering to not only
current protocol, but also new and developing standards in place. Lifts installed
after this time will need to have features such as improved strength and
durability of car walls, roofs and doors, higher requirements for fire
resistance of car interiors and mandatory elevator control panels complete with
a “stop” button in the pit. The new standards will go on to uphold the lifts
obvious reputation for excellent safety practices.
Being proactive
As with
almost all aspects of facilities management, one of the most crucial steps to
take in keeping elevators in top condition is to inspect them often. Not many
people understand that lift maintenance is not a legal requirement; the only
compulsory practice is that an insurance inspector needs to review a lift
system once every six months so the owners are covered legally. This is the
bear minimum of work that should be carried out, but advised practice is to
have a lift system serviced every month. Neglected lifts often go on to result
in long delays while waiting for repairs, lead to premature ageing, create huge
financial expense and, worse yet, become a danger to both passengers of the
lift and service personnel.
Planning for maintenance
Facilities
managers need to always have a planned preventative maintenance schedule in
place with a selected lift service provider. This takes into consideration
obvious issues such as elevator-system peak times, impossible dates for
servicing and so forth. A mobilisation plan should also be put in place to
cover any risk assessments, method statements and health and safety procedures
in relation to any lift maintenance.
The age of a
lift system and size of the building are two of the factors that have to be
taken into account when planning for any kind of maintenance, as older systems
with additional floors to cover may need a more thorough service, which will
take a greater length of time. So, the amount of footfall a lift means it may
mean the system wears a lot quicker, so there will need to be a discussion
about the level of predicted lift use with the service provider. It is crucial
that a facilities manager can rely on the lift service provider and trust it. A
good partnership has to be made during the planning stage to ensure the
contractor will deliver excellent ongoing service and support.
Keeping up to date with technology
Technological
advancements in the lift industry are very much improving health and safety for
both passengers and engineers. Facilities managers must embrace fast-changing
trends to take advantage of the huge benefits. Modernizing a lift system will
end up with a faster lift and with a smoother ride, reduce overall costs and
make a lift more reliable and less prone to breaking down.
New
thermal-imaging technology, providing engineers with the ability to locate,
troubleshoot and fix impending issues to prevent costly shutdowns. Moreover,
there are a few technological developments that can drastically lower a lift
system’s energy consumption. It is crucial that service providers notify
clients of changing environmental legislation and provide advice on product
innovation and environmentally efficient technologies during the term of their
contract.
For lift
maintenance specifically, customer-management portals or even being able to
contact your lift maintenance provider on the phone easily offers you a bespoke
and reliable service, which both reduces downtime and improves communication
between clients and servicers. Online presence as well as good frequent
communication delivers clients detailed lift information, including real-time
updates, electronic exchange of orders and proactive maintenance reporting.
Provide education
It goes
without saying that, despite a facilities manager’s best attempts, accidents
very much still happen. For lift users, a frequent hazard is being struck by
closing lift doors, and, despite it being
essential to ensure your lift system’s detection system is updated, this
type of accident is very much the result of user error for example, a passenger
may need to run for a lift and stick his or her hand or arm between the doors
to prevent them from closing. An early education for lift passengers, by
offering visible signs and aids detailing lift best practices, is a facilities
manager’s best hope for the prevention of accidents such as this.
ADL Lift Services
- Quality Lift Servicing in
Scotland
Installing,
maintaining, and servicing a lift can be stressful if you do not know who to
rely on when you need service and help. That’s why, at ADL Lift Services, we
provide professional lift maintenance in Scotland. All of our customers know
that when they need professional help, we are able to complete the work that
they need in a timely and professional manner.
At ADL Lift
Services, we realise the importance of personalised service and the right lifts
for your needs. That’s why our team of professionals offers quality service as
well as all of the equipment and parts that you will need to keep your lift
working the way that it should. If you’re searching for parts, equipment or
services to ensure that your lifts work properly at all times, look no further
than ADL Lift Services. Our team of lift manufacturers in Scotland provide some
of the very best services across the country, with expert knowledge, years of
experience and unbeatable customer service. If you’re stuck with a problem with
your lifts, we have a solution to help.
Before starting any work, we always perform a
robust risk assessment at your location and will send fully-trained,
experienced and knowledgeable staff to complete the work efficiently and
effectively. Our years of experience in the industry and our wide-ranging
catalogue of spare parts mean that we can fix your emergency in no time at all.
To find out more,
please get in touch.
