Risk assessments for elevators

Since the first elevator installations, the health and safety aspects of the passenger lift have become increasingly more stringent. Undertaking regular passenger lift maintenance and assessing modernisation and refurbishment tasks is a responsibility for many organisational health and safety managers and on-site engineers.

One aspect of maintaining the full safety of an installed passenger lift or commercial elevator is to undertake regular risk assessments on these elevators. Afteral all, this is an integral component to overall company health and safety checks. You must initiate these regular elevator safety checks, not only for statutory reasons, but to reduce passenger injuries and for companies to avoid legal action and ultimately financial and reputational penalties. For instance, developing a complete risk assessment checklist for an elevator should be the first step towards ensuring lift safety.

Some of the issues that need to be addressed on an elevator risk assessment include items such as checking that an alarm and telephone system is installed inside the lift in case of passenger being trapped inside. If this happens, passengers must be able to contact an appointed person to inform them of their predicament.

Other points that are included on a risk assessment checklist ensure that air conditioning and ventilators are completely clean and unblocked. Measures should be put in place to help avoid passengers from trapping fingers and other bodily parts between the doors. Risk assessments should ensure that the brush or bristles down the length of the door are fully completed with no balding or gaps. Ensuring that the flooring inside the lift is anti-slip is also another point that needs to be checked.

Here at Elevation Lift Services, we specialise in the installation and maintenance of both the passenger lift and the commercial elevator including undertaking the many health and safety aspects of elevation.