An elevator crashed from the third floor in a residential-cum-commercial building in Kasba on Monday, killing a woman and critically injuring her husband. The accident that no one saw coming could be an eye-opener for many who have elevators in their buildings.
The Telegraph spoke to engineers, academics, lift makers and maintenance personnel and government officials to understand what users need to know and follow while installing and operating an elevator in a residential space.
How to know if the lift is malfunctioning?
There could be some visible signs indicating a possible breakdown of an elevator in the near future, like a non-operating door, malfunctioning of lights or the alarm. “These are obvious signs. But for a finer understanding of a possible breakdown ahead, one should look for signs like a mechanical noise, a jerk while taking off, or a gap between the floor of the lift car and the level of the floor outside once the lift is stationary. Occurrence of any of these should be reported immediately,” said Debasish Chatterjee, professor in the electrical engineering department at Jadavpur University.
Who to report to if an elevator malfunctions?
Any operational problem related to an elevator should be reported to the lift manufacturing and repair company with which the owner of the elevator has signed an annual maintenance contract (AMC).
What should I do if I want to install a lift in my home or apartment building?
The West Bengal Lift, Escalators and Travelators Rules, 2022, which can be downloaded from the internet, have detailed guidelines for the installation of elevators. Signing an AMC with a registered company and procuring a lift licence from the government are among the requisites.
“No elevator can be operated without signing an AMC with a registered company. Also, it is mandatory to obtain a lift licence for running any elevator,” said Jyotish Roy Choudhuri, upper divisional assistant in the directorate of electricity, under the state power department.
How to select a company for the AMC?
The first criterion is that the company with which one wants to sign an AMC must have a licence issued by the Lift Committee. The committee is a wing under the directorate of electricity. Its primary job is to consider applications from lift manufacturing and maintenance companies, grant or deny licences to them to sign any AMC and address complaints against such companies.
What are the duties of the company that signs an AMC for the upkeep of an elevator?
The primary job of such a company is to clean and lubricate the essential parts, examine the cables and their attachments, lubricate the door locks and inspect all electrical connections.
How to check whether the maintenance firm is doing its job properly?
Different companies have different ways to carry out their field operations.
A senior executive of a lift manufacturing and repair company in Calcutta told Metro they have a software through which they keep tabs on each of the elevators maintained by them across the state.
“The data of the elevators looked after by us are available to us online. Based on the data, we decide which one needs repairs or any specialised treatment,” said the official.
“Our field officers check the counter of each of the elevators, which indicates how many times an elevator has been used during a particular period. When this check is carried out periodically, the gap from the previous count helps us ascertain how often the elevator has been used. All the data is captured in the software, which generates a schedule for each elevator and suggests areas that need to be looked into,” the official said.
The owners of the elevators can keep tabs on the work of a maintenance company by checking their records from time to time.
How frequently should an elevator be inspected?
There is no hard and fast rule. The frequency should be decided by the maintenance company depending upon the condition of each lift.
What are the rules for the renewal of a lift licence?
A licence for operating an escalator should be renewed within three to five years from the date of the issuance of the licence. The period should be covered by an AMC.