Lift Compliance, Surveys and Testing

These are individual tests and examinations which can be called for by a competent person where concerns regarding the condition or operation of specific lift systems arise. Test packages are provided which include thorough testing of lift systems to verify their operation, condition and safety.

These tests go above and beyond what is included in a normal routine service visit.

The purpose of the tests is to support the thorough examination in order to establish the equipment’s suitability for continued safe use. Such supplementary tests, which should be called for by a Competent Person, will need to be undertaken and documented in order to enable subsequent thorough examinations to be completed.

Failure to complete the supplementary tests may preclude the completion of the subsequent thorough examination, requiring the lift to be taken out of service and not used.

No, they are used to support the thorough examination in order to establish the equipment’s suitability for continued safe use.

Note however that failure to complete supplementary tests may preclude the completion of the subsequent thorough examination, requiring the lift to be taken out of service and not used.

Almost certainly. Please contact us to discuss a combined work discount.

They should be carried out as and when called for by a competent person, or at intervals set by SAFed which are every one, five and ten years.

BS 7255 – Safe Working on Lifts is a British Standard which gives recommendations for safe working practices (supported by training) for:

• Owners of permanently installed lifts serving defined landing levels
• Persons having effective control of the premises where such lifts are installed
• Persons responsible for, and involved in, the design, installation, commissioning, testing, maintenance, thorough examination, inspection, repair and dismantling of such lifts

BS EN 81-80 – Rules for the improvement of safety of existing passenger and goods passenger lifts is a British and European Standard and can be used as a guideline for: 

• National authorities to determine their own program of implementation in a step by process via a filtering process in a reasonable and practicable way based on level of risk (e.g. high, medium, low) and social and economic considerations
• Owners to follow their responsibilities according to existing regulations
• Maintenance companies and/or inspection bodies inform the owners of the safety level of their installations and propose risk reduction measures
• Owners to upgrade their existing lifts on a voluntary basis

A thorough examination is a systematic and detailed examination of the lift and all its associated equipment by a competent person. Its aim is to detect any defects which are, or might become, dangerous, and for the competent person to report them to the dutyholder and, if appropriate, the enforcing authority (the Health and Safety Executive or local authority) so that appropriate remedial action can be taken.

If you are a lift owner or someone responsible for the safe operation of a lift used at work, such as a facilities manager or supervisor, you are a ‘dutyholder’ under LOLER. This means that you have a legal responsibility to ensure that the lift is thoroughly examined and that it is safe to use. (If you are the owner of a lift used primarily by members of the public, you may also find this guidance from the HSE helps you to comply with more general health and safety legal duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.)

A competent person is someone who has sufficient technical and practical knowledge of the lift to be able to detect any defects and assess how significant they are.

It is also important that the competent person is sufficiently independent and impartial to allow them to make an objective assessment of the lift.

For this reason, it is not advisable for the same person who performs routine maintenance to carry out the thorough examination, as they are then responsible for assessing their own work.

The law requires that all lifts when in use should be thoroughly examined:

• after substantial and significant changes have been made;
• at least every six months if the lift is used at any time to carry people, every 12 months if it only carries loads, or in accordance with an examination scheme; and

• following ‘exceptional circumstances’ such as damage to, or failure of, the lift, long periods out of use or a major change in operating conditions which is likely to affect the integrity of the equipment