Lift Maintenance Regulations

Passenger Lift Maintenance Regulations – A Guide

As a building manager or lift owner, you know that safety and compliance are paramount. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) place a clear responsibility on you to ensure your passenger lift is compliant with lift maintenance regulations in order to keep your lift in safe working order.

Meeting these requirements not only protects the people using your lift but also helps avoid costly breakdowns and ensures the smooth operation of your building.

At Tower Lifts, we’ve been providing comprehensive lift maintenance and servicing since 2006, helping our clients achieve full compliance with lift maintenance regulations.

Understanding the Lift Maintenance Regulations

A clear understanding of lift maintenance is how you keep passengers and employees safe, avoid legal issues, and ensure that your lifts run smoothly. This section goes through the key legislation you need to know.

1. LOLER – A Practical Guide

As a building manager, understanding LOLER is crucial for fulfilling your legal obligations and ensuring the safety of your tenants, employees and visitors. LOLER, or the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998, sets out clear requirements for the safe operation and maintenance of all types of lifts.

Why LOLER is Essential:

LOLER is designed to significantly reduce the risk of lift-related accidents and ensure the smooth operation of your building’s vertical transportation. It achieves this through:

  • Robust Construction – LOLER mandates that lifts are structurally sound and capable of handling their intended load, preventing breakdowns and ensuring passenger safety.
  • Safe Installation – Proper lift installation in order to avoid accidents. LOLER provides guidelines for the safe positioning and secure installation of lifts in your building.
  • Competent Operation – LOLER emphasises the importance of trained lift operators who understand safe operating procedures, reducing the risk of accidents caused by human error.
  • Thorough Examinations – Regular thorough examinations by qualified professionals are carried out to identify and address potential safety issues before they escalate.

Implementing LOLER in Your Building:

Compliance with LOLER requires a proactive approach to lift maintenance. In addition to routine servicing, your lift must undergo thorough examinations at regular intervals to assess its overall condition and ensure ongoing safety.

2.PUWER – Keeping Your Lift Safe for Everyone

While LOLER focuses on the technical aspects of lift safety, PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998) takes a broader view. It’s concerned with the safety of everyone who interacts with your lift, including employees, visitors, and contractors.

Why PUWER Matters:

PUWER aims to create a safe working environment by ensuring all work equipment, including lifts, is:

  • Fit for Purpose – Your lift must be appropriate for its intended use, whether it’s transporting passengers, goods, or both. This includes factors like capacity, speed, and accessibility.
  • Safe to Use – PUWER reinforces LOLER’s safety requirements, ensuring your lift is well-maintained and free from hazards.
  • Operated by Trained Personnel – PUWER emphasises the importance of proper training for anyone operating or working with the lift, including maintenance staff.
  • Supported by Safety Measures – This means clear signage, warning signs, and emergency procedures. PUWER requires you to implement safety measures to reduce operational risks and protect everyone who uses the lift.

How PUWER Impacts Your Lift:

Compliance with PUWER often involves practical steps like:

  • Regular Servicing – Keeping your lift well-maintained through routine lift servicing is central to meeting PUWER requirements.
  • Clear Signage – Ensure your lift has clear signage indicating its maximum capacity, safety instructions, and emergency procedures.
  • Training and Instruction – Provide adequate training to staff who operate or work with the lift, ensuring they understand safety procedures and emergency protocols.
  • Risk Assessments – Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential hazards and implement appropriate safety measures.

3. Manual Handling – Avoiding Lift-Related Risks

While it’s natural to focus on the technical aspects of lift maintenance, we should also remember the human element. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 are designed to protect staff from injuries related to lifting, lowering, pushing, pulling, and carrying.

Why Manual Handling Matters in Lift Safety:

If a workplace lift is temporarily out of service, staff may suddenly be faced with manually carrying heavy equipment or goods up and down stairs. This could, potentially, lead to strains, sprains, and even more serious injuries. That’s where the Manual Handling Regulations come in. They require you to:

  • Assess Risks – Identify tasks that involve manual handling and assess the risks associated with them. Consider factors like the weight of the load, the distance involved, and the individual capabilities of your staff.
  • Take Preventive Measures – Wherever possible, eliminate or reduce the need for manual handling. This might involve providing trolleys, hoists, or other lifting aids to reduce the risk of injury.
  • Provide Training – Give your staff training in safe manual handling techniques. This includes correct lifting postures, understanding their own limitations, and knowing how to use any provided equipment safely.

Manual Handling and Your Lift:

While these regulations might seem to have nothing to do with lift maintenance, they are interconnected. A well-maintained lift reduces the likelihood of breakdowns and the need for manual handling in the first place. By prioritising both lift safety and manual handling best practices, you create a safer and more efficient working environment for everyone.

Working With Tower Lifts

At Tower Lifts, passenger safety is at the heart of everything we do. We go beyond routine maintenance to ensure your vertical transport meets all the lift maintenance regulations.

Our commitment to quality and safety is reflected in our accreditations, including ISO 9001:2015 for quality management, ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety, and UKAS LiftCert for industry best practices. We’re also members of LEIA, ensuring we stay at the forefront of industry standards.

Ready to ensure your lift is safe and compliant? Contact Tower Lifts today for a free consultation and let our experts guide you through the process – 01525 601099

Tower Lifts London lift team can design and install a varied range of lifts throughout the UK including:

Domestic Lifts • Food Lifts • Bespoke Platform Lifts • Service Lifts • Platform Lifts • Goods Lifts • Scenic Lifts • Heavy Duty / Car Lifts • Passenger Lifts • Dumbwaiter Lifts • MRL Lifts • Fire lifts • Residential Lifts • low-Headroom Lifts