Posted By Lilian McCartney Hi Folks, I got stuck in a lift on Tuesday. From this experience I had some observations for the company involved (not my employer). You might want to check your procedures on my observations/experience. 1. I expected to get someone from the building to answer the alarm - not an outside agency.. 2. I was 'calm' enough to wait without contact while they phoned the building. 3. I couldn't hear an alarm (as it doesn't ring in the building but I expected to hear something. So, I've recommended that they have a notice saying what will happen when you press the alarm button e.g. no audible alarm will phone a call centre someone will come to the lift I was kept up to date and someone stood outside the lift talking to me (no diet coke man) Lilian

Posted By Lilian McCartney Hi Bob, I knew that but at the time it was a bit strange. The sign only said to press the alarm button, an automatic voice said that I was being connected by phone but then seemed to take ages (Probably didn't but I have a thing about lifts and didn't use them until I became disabled 2 yrs ago). Everything worked well and I got 'rescued' but those first couple of minutes were a bit strange. I think if there was something which said what would happen in case you didn't hear or pick up what the voice auto voice said. Perhaps of course a sign like this would make you feel worse in a lift expecting it to stop. Don't know, it was another life expereince and thankfully I didn't embarass myself - though I did jump out pretty quick when the doors opened!

Posted By JonH Hi, just another angle on this - what if the person stuck in the lift is audibly impaired? Not so common for the average work place, but very possible in public areas such as car parks, shopping centres etc... My wife and I got stuck in a lift in a multistory car park attached to a major supermarket in Newcastle. I rang the alarm button and nothing happened. No sign. After about 4/5 minutes I prized the doors open and luckily we were about 3ft up from a level so we both jumped/climbed out. I went down to the supermarket and challenged them about it and they said that they never heard the alarm at all. We tested it from inside another lift and nothing. They didn't seem too bothered so I bid them farewell and rang the local council EHO to complain.

Posted By Robert K Lewis Perhaps I was unclear concerning the external assistance - it is the need to have continuous monitoring that leads to the use of external call centres. Most organisations would not be in a posistion to manitain the additional dedicated staff for the role. As for the failure to respond I am totally with people who take it up forcefully with the store management and please do make sure both the enforcement authority and the chair of the company concerned who are contacted. The failure of rescue procedures is big issue. Engineers busy is no excuse as many of the organisations are receiving comparatively large fees for the service. I like Lilian have to use lifts most of the time, waiting 20+ minutes is not good enough especially when the toilets are on the top floor of many stores which strangely is one of the reasons that the lifts need to be used, the travelators do not go that far, or only go up with no down stream. Bob