The majority of lifts require a level of competency in lift opperations to enable the lift to be placed in a safe condition. we have several companies on call and the fire services should this event happen. depending on the type of failure it may be dangerious to effect a rescue unless you are fully compitent if lify opperations. the lift service compant for your lift would be able to provide guidance on the best method of evacuation.

Thanks for your response thus far.
I have spoken to the lift company, but get one view from the engineers which is a bunch of horror stories about how they don't like the idea of in house staff being trained to do these 'rescues' if they or the brigade cannot attend on time. The other view is from the lift company itself which just seems to want to throw any training at you and is not giving clarity as to what is best, will it work, are the people then deemed competent to do this in the absence of a lift engineer etc. They just want to make money it seems on an expensive course.
What I would like is to have a procedure whereby of course we call the lift company out first, fire brigade as second and only if only they are going to be long and the person is panicking do our inhouse team do the rescue.
I guess I just wondered what procedures others used.
Thanks anyway.

Rob M - what do you mean by several companies - is your lift contract company happy with this?

Its an office building (a floor with traders) so its pretty much 24 hours, but most people are out of here by midnightish, but start around 6ish (sometimes earlier). There is a guard on duty on his own from 7pm - 7am so obviously he would not do any rescuing on his own. This training would strictly be for when our engineer is on site when there are more people in the building during the day.

Buffy you wont be calling the lift company out during the night so releasing a trapped passenger and repairing the lift would be done in the core hours and really all of that should be covered in your service contract with them.