Posted By Clare Hazlewood Following an incident in which an ambulance crew was called to attend a staff member with severe back pain (not work-related), and were unable to bring the trolley-cot up in the lift, I've been asked to find out if there's any requirement to take account of the possibility of having to extricate someone in a horizontal position from all floors. I'm aware that First Aid rooms should be accessible to ambulance crews (ours is, no problem there)but am not aware of any other requirements or guidance. The lift dimensions comply with Building Regs part M for disabled access (1100mm x 1400mm), but it was too short to get the trolley in. Unfortunately, the lady in question was unable to sit down, so couldn't be wheeled to the lift. The ambulance crew resorted to pumping her full of morphine and assisting her to walk to the lift. We're an educational establishment, and the lifts are provided primarily for disabled staff & students and for shifting supplies and equipment, not for high-volume use. Is it normal for buildings such as ours to have larger lifts? Clare

Posted By David A Cooper The 1400 x 1100 car size is the recomemnded minimum in The Building regulatiosn Part M for a wheelchair. This equates to an 8 person lift. The minimum stretcher size lift is a 33 person type! This is in standards such that medics can work on a casualty at the same time. I am happy to provide more details if requested. Dave (Lift Consultant)