Vertical Transportation Consultant

Advice

What are my responsibilities as an owner of a lift, escalator or BMU?

There are many things as an equipment owner that you are responsible for. The highest priority responsibility is to ensure that the people using and the workers maintaining the equipment are safe in this environment. 

You must have a valid Thorough Examination Report carried out periodically (depending on local regulations) and it is best practice to ensure the equipment meets the relevant codes and standards.

D2E recommend that you keep the necessary documentation relating to your equipment on site. 

We have a variety of guides aimed at the owners of lifts, escalators and facade access equipment. Please contact us for a copy.

 

I have a question regarding Thorough Examination inspections…

Local Authority guidance recommends the periodic thorough examinations should normally be conducted on a six-monthly basis or at a suitable period as directed by the competent person.

If your Thorough Examination Inspection falls out of date then an inspection should be arranged as soon as possible. D2E recommend that the equipment is isolated until a competant person carries out a Thorough Examination Inspection on the equipment. 

I want to arrange a condition inspection of my equipment – who should I contact?

If an independent view of the condition of your equipment is required then D2E can undertake a range of surveys to cater for  your specific needs.

My equipment is broken or unreliable – what should I do?

This could be due to a number of items, such as;

• Maintenance regime not being followed correctly.
• Worn or failing parts causing poor performance.
• General wear and tear associated with age of the equipment.
• Misuse and abuse of the equipment. 

In the first instance, you should contact the maintenance company to investigate the root cause and repair.

Further to this, you can employ a professional to provide impartial advice on the issues you are experiencing with your equipment.

Someone has had an accident on my BMU, lift or escalator – what should I do?

In the event of an accident or incident involving your equipment, please refer to your internal accident procedures.

Key considerations that should be included in your procedure are;

  • If the accident is caused by your equipment, D2E advise that you isolate the equipment and call your maintenance advisor for further investigation.
  • Depending on the serverity of the accident, you must notify the relevant local authority.
  • We recommend that you record as much information about the accident as possible.

 

I’m having problems with my maintenance provider – what can I do?

We would advise escalation of the issues to the maintenance provider's Area Service Manager.

You can obtain contact details by calling the call centre of the maintenance company.

If you would like assistance in improving the performance of your equipment, please get in touch with D2E to find out how we can help.

What are my options for maintenance contracts?

Basic 

Minimal maintenance with most call outs and repairs chargeable at set rates. This type of contract will have the lowest premium.

Comprehensive

Regular Maintenance with extensive coverage for parts and labour, some exclusions usually apply and this should be clarified.This type of contract will have a nominal premium.

Framework Agreement/Performance Based Contract

Written specifically for your site or portfolio which covers tailored KPI’s and is more robust than a comprehensive contract. This type of contract will incur the highest premium.

 

Can I abseil from my BMU tracks if my BMU is out of service?

This is not recommended unless they have been designed and installed to accommodate Rope Access Loadings which most systems are not.

For more information the following factsheets are available from D2E;

D2E Guidance on Using Existing BMU Systems as Anchorage Points 
D2E Guidance on Using Existing BMU Systems for IRATA 

Please contact D2E for a copy.

What is the maximum lifting capacity of a BMU?

BMU’s can be designed to hoist ancillary loads i.e. cladding panels for glazing replacement, but not all are. Nominally these will be 600 - 1000kg depending on configuration. Please ensure you check your Operation and Maintenance Manuals before proceeding.

 

Is it safe to abseil?

CDM (2015) + Working at Height Regulations (2005)

Requires the hierarchy of control to be applied, this requires the design team to remove risks. Where this is not possible those risks should be reduced as far as possible, residual risks must be communicated and controlled. PPE i.e. Fall Arrest in any form including Abseiling is not collective and relies on the action of an individual, and is considered Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). This is the last level or resort if all other measures cannot be accommodated by the design. It is the duty of the designer to reduce foreseeable risks for cleaning and maintenance. It should also be noted that it is the responsibility of the owner to reduce the risk to all persons in his employ, being direct or subcontract and that they will be involved should an accident occur.

HSE View

Based on numerous discussions and written confirmation, it is the view of the HSE that, if a collective protection system (BMU, MEWP, Gantry, Cradle, Davit) can be accommodate by the building design it should be adopted ahead of Rope Access. Assuming Rope Access is the preferred scheme, if an accident was to occur in the future the HSE will refer back to the hierarchy of control and ask why a collective system was not designed in. The building owner must understand their responsibility and know that prosecution could be a likely outcome in the event of an accident. See P9 of attached document which lists ‘cost cutting at the expense of safety’ as an offence.

Industrial Rope Access Trade Association (IRATA)

If the building owner is willing to accept the risk and instruct a Rope Access strategy it is essential that IRATA guidelines are followed. Since the introduction of IRATA, Rope Access accidents are very uncommon. If designed and managed correctly a building can be safely accessed via trained and experienced abseilers.

What type of fall protection is best for my roof – fall arrest or fall restraint?

Fall Restraint must be given priority over Fall Arrest.

The main difference between arrest and restraint is an “arrest” occurs after a person freefalls through space. In other words, the system stops a worker's fall that has already occurred, preventing impact at a lower level. This can cause suspension trauma which can be fatal. In a fall restraint system, however, the worker is restrained from reaching a fall hazard.

What is the minimum lift size for a disabled access lift and a firefighting lift?

The European code for disabled access and firefighting requires a minimum car size of 1100mm wide x 1400mm deep with a rated load of 8 person/630kg. 

I want to have more tenants in my building - do I need more lifts?

A quick traffic analysis survey will confirm if the current lift system has enough capacity to take any additional passenger load. 

To find out more about traffic analysis surveys, please take a look at D2E's approach to Traffic Analysis.

Got any more questions?
Please get in touch