Lift Safety

Learn about lift maintenance safety and control measures.

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Lifts
Lift Maintenance
Hazards and Controls
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Lifts

Many of us, who live in tall apartment buildings or work in high-rise offices, use lifts or elevators every day. The high concentration of tall buildings in Singapore has made lifts an essential mode of vertical transportation.

Lift Maintenance

All lifts require regular maintenance to ensure smooth and safe operation. Without adequate maintenance, lifts would cause inconvenience to users and expose lift maintenance personnel to unnecessary risks.

Lift maintenance work generally covers:

Routine maintenance (lubrication, cleaning, inspection, alignment, etc.)
Non-routine maintenance (emergency repair, replacement of worn or damaged components, re-calibrating load cell, etc.)

Hazards and Controls

Some common hazards in lift maintenance work include:

Hazard	Controls
Pinching (e.g. fingers pinched when ropes come into contact with pulley or sheave)	Install emergency stop switch next to drive sheave. Install safety guards for moving machinery parts.
Electrocution (e.g. worker coming into contact with non-finger safe terminal block)	Use finger safe terminal block with plastic covering. Provide clear markings or labels on electrical wires and terminations.
Fall from height (e.g. falling off from the top of the lift car to the bottom of the lift pit)	Adopt a safer work position e.g. near the centre of the lift car. Use fall arrestors when working at heights.
Heat stress (e.g. worker perspiring in hot motor room)	Install exhaust fan to cool machinery. Install ventilation or ducted HVAC system in motor room. Provide cooling fans for workers.