Posted By Chris Harris
Having had 3 lifts flooded recently we are now dried out & our lift company engineers have checked all the workings & made repairs as necessary to get us working again.
They also do all the maintenance, servicing & repairs under a contract which includes completing LG1s & LG5s etc.
From reading LOLER about Thorough Examination & Testing, is this requirement and LG1 LG5 & LG10s one & the same thing? After all it's a scheme of inspection, examination & test carried out by a competent person, the lift engineer.
Or, following what were "exceptional circumstances" would our insurance company need to carry out a Thorough Examination & Test to differing criteria?
Appreciate any advice or thought from anyone familiar with lifts & LOLER Regs.

Posted By Christopher Kelly
LOLER Thorough Exam is the key element you need to comply with the legislation (usually the insurance company engineering department).

Unlike general lifting equipment lift companies had a bit of a stranglehold on the market and LG requirements were put in place in addition to LOLER. Effectively these are recognised 'best practice' in addition to the thorough.

You can ask a 'competent person' to carry out a risk assessment which determines that LG checks are not required, although this will usually just reduce the frequency. Principal Engineers at the insurance company I worked for privately expressed the view that load and proof-load tests are valueless - they just show that the lift can carry the weight at that time, do not demonstrate likely performance in ? months time. Best thing to do is speak to your insurance company engineer or principal engineer - they will advise you.

YI think ou will certainly need a competent person to check out.

Regards,
Chris

Posted By David A Cooper
Chris

I am a statutory inspector and author of the safety column in the lift trade journal ELEVATION since 1994.

There are a number of issues you need to consider and these are just a few:


How high did the water reach?
Did the lift cars come in to contact with the water?
If so have the safety gear switches been compromised?
Is the safety gear dry and will it be free to operate?
Have the trailing flexes become compromised?
Has the lubrication at the guide shoes been lubricated?


The best thing to do in a flood if the lift is a traction type is to park the lift car at the middle floor. Assuming the water doesn’t reach the middle of the building the only concern then lies with the equipment in the pit and not the lift cars or counterweight. To comply with the British Standard a hydraulic lift should only be isolated at the lowest floor so a different ball park altogether.

The equipment in the pit will vary dependent upon the type of lift but the over travel limits, buffers, buffer switches etc will all need to be checked.

In my opinion it would be essential to have a LOLER Reg 9 examination but it would also be sensible to undertake a commissioning test. A full PAS32 may not be needed but if you apply the mentality of BS5655 part 10 as if it were a modernization then the components that were affected would be tested rather than the whole lift. If the trailing flexes got wet this may not be a safe approach as a short circuit in the safety line could override car gate contacts, safety gear switches, etc etc.

Given that water ingress can cause corrosion it is worth considering a temporary regime of LOLER examinations at a more regular interval.

I can’t give you chapter and verse here without knowing what type of lift you have but would happily assist over the phone. Feel free to call.

Dave