For property owners, one of the biggest worries that exist is when there’s a lift breakdown and urgent repairs are needed. Not only is it a hectic situation for you, but also for any person who normally uses the lift.
Lift breakdowns can cause major disruptions in the operations of your business, from delaying any deliveries to preventing clients and staff from reaching the floor that they need to get to.
You may find yourself with slowly growing anxiety, wondering about what to do and how to fix it. Don’t worry! Here you’ll find everything you need to get your lift up and running again in the event of a lift breakdown.
What to Do in the Event of a Lift Breakdown
A lift breakdown, although inconvenient, is not the end of the world. Lifts break down an average of 4 times a year, so it is not an uncommon phenomenon.
If you find yourself with a broken lift, follow these steps to ensure that the safety of any stuck passengers is prioritised, as well as to avoid any further damage to the lift.
1. Remain Calm
As the owner of a property, and therefore the owner of the lift, it is your responsibility to keep the safety of all people in the building at the forefront of your mind.
If others can see you, the property owner, calm and collected, they too will feel the same. Evoking a sense of panic does not improve the situation at hand, especially for any people that may be trapped in a lift.
2. Make Sure That You Can Communicate with the People Stuck inside the Lift
Of course, with passenger lifts designed for public use, it’s more likely that there will be people going in and out of lifts regularly. If in the fortunate circumstance that there were no passengers inside the lift when it broke down, this will not apply to you. However, in the more unfortunate case that there were, ensure that there is a way for them to be communicated with.
Most lifts will have an alarm button that any stuck passenger can press if the lift breaks down, with some even having an intercom system that will directly put them through to reception or security. If the latter applies to you, assure them that you are aware of the situation and that it will be dealt with promptly.
It’s important that you advise any entrapped passengers not to attempt to pry the doors open, push any more buttons, or try to break the lift ceiling to get out as these may cause accidental damage.
3. Place Signs Informing People That the Lifts Are Not Working
If a lift is out of order, let everyone know that it is by putting emergency signs around it on each floor. This will prevent any safety risks should people attempt to use the lift whilst it’s broken.
4. Call an Emergency Lift Repair Company
Do not try to fix the issue unless you are an authorised person with lift repair knowledge and training. Calling a trusted lift maintenance company ensures that you will get the best resources to help repair your lift as efficiently and as safely as possible.
5. Schedule Routine Maintenance and Servicing
To avoid frequent lift breakdowns, planned lift maintenance is required – if you do not already have lift maintenance and service plans in place, it is time to schedule these on a regular basis.
Lift Repairs and Maintenance to Keep Your Passengers Safe
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) state that lifting equipment should be checked and maintained on a regular basis by a competent person – this may mean a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis. For confidence in a superior lift operation for your business, you may wish to do more frequent maintenance, especially if the lifts on your property are used often daily.
A thorough examination consists of checking functionality, any signs of wear, and possible load testing. This is required every 6 or 12 months depending on the equipment – lifts that carry passengers and goods are required every 6 months, while lifts that carry only goods like car lifts are required every 12 months.
At Sheridan Lifts, we offer both lift breakdown repairs and lift maintenance to keep your lifts safe and secure. Sheridan Lifts prioritise safety and reliability, providing high-quality services and ensuring that all lifts that we install and service are compliant, meeting all of the necessary requirements.
Lift Breakdown Repair
Sheridan Lifts provides first-class lift repairs, with our emergency repairs phone line open 24/7, 365 days a year.
With a promised 1-hour callout in the case of stuck passengers, there’s no need to make trapped passengers wait any longer than they have to. For cases with no entrapment, we offer a guaranteed 4-hour callout to get our best engineers out to you as quickly as possible.
We aim to be with you as soon as possible – however, if the issue is unable to be fixed straight away, we can provide a timeline and help to arrange additional visits if required.
We carry out emergency lift repairs in the following areas:
- Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and the North-West
- Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Derby and the East Midlands
- Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, London, Essex and Kent
At Sheridan Lifts, we use only open protocol products for our lift repair service, as well as install fully open protocol lifts. This makes it easier for future maintenance and repairs, allowing flexibility and it does not restrict you once the warranty period is up.
You can trust us to provide you with exceptional service, especially in the case of a lift breakdown as we are a leading lift company with industry qualifications and accreditations to prove our dedication to the business.
Lift Maintenance for Safe and Secure Lifts
Ensuring routine lift maintenance and lift servicing is an obligation that you have as commercial property or non-commercial property owner.
A few tips and checks, as well as any lift requirements to maintain a safe and secure lift, are:
- Emergency lighting and emergency alarm check – The BS 7255:2012 Code of Practice for Safe Working on Lifts specifically states that these should be checked to ensure that they are operable should a lift breakdown be the result of a power failure. This should only be undertaken by a competent person and done regularly.
- Emergency signage inside lifts – Signage and instructions indicating what trapped persons should do in the event of lift breakdown, as well as the safe release procedures, should be present inside the lift.
- Consistent functional tests – The functionality of your lifts should be checked often to help prevent lift breakdowns so you can spot any signs of damage or wear early on. Any strange or unusual noises in particular are a cause of concern, so make sure you look out for this when using the lifts.
- Correct use of lift – Ensure that your lifts are being used correctly and appropriately according to their specifications. Loading lifts over the recommended or maximum weight can cause damage, making your lift more prone to lift breakdowns. Make sure that you educate yourself and your lift users on how to use your lifts correctly – whether that is placing educational posters around the lift, or making it a key health and safety aspect during staff training.
To help you with your lift maintenance, Sheridan Lifts boasts long-term lift maintenance packages including:
- Sheridan Standard – The most accessible package, ideal for properties with low-usage lifts, a small number of floors, or with only one or two lifts on-site. This package contains 4, 6, or 12 annual service visits from our team of lift experts, with access to the helpline and a 1-hour and 4-hour repair response time to entrapments and non-entrapments, respectively.
- Sheridan Comprehensive – This is an all-inclusive lift maintenance package, complete with all the things to fulfil your lift maintenance needs. This includes 6 or 12 service visits from our lift engineers and additional services, with parts covered up to £350 should a problem occur. It also comes with an assigned personal key account manager and on-site service reports to help you feel at ease and organised.
- Sheridan Premium – Similar to the Sheridan Standard, 4, 6, or 12 service visits per annum are covered, with the addition of any callouts during normal business hours to lift breakdowns at no extra cost.
How Sheridan Lifts Can Help You in an Emergency
Sheridan Lifts is a family-run lift company, with over 40 years of experience and expertise. We offer an array of lift services, from a range of different lift installations such as glass lifts to energy-saving lifts, and if you’re looking to refurbish or upgrade your lifts, we can do this too.
Sheridan Lifts is here in times when emergency response is required at a swift rate, and with our expert team of lift engineers, you’re in good hands when it comes to lift repairs and maintenance.
If any of this sounds like it would help you and your property, get in touch with us today to discuss your options and prevent further lift breakdowns.