What to watch out for when working on the lift car roof

A lot of the work involving lift car technology is carried out in the shaft and from the car roof. While lift users can enter the car at ground level and without further precautions, service personnel must take additional safety precautions when working in the shaft.

By Philipp John

In general, only trained personnel or those accompanied by them may get onto a car roof for maintenance, troubleshooting and repair. The service personnel must first establish that the lift is safe. Technical defects or accidentally forgotten jumper circuits can unintentionally set the car in motion while working.

To avert this risk, performing a safety routine before getting onto the roof is advisable:

• The car is sent down while the service personnel remain in front of the door. As soon as the car roof is flush with the door threshold (the travel time must be estimated), the safety circuit is interrupted by actuation of an external door unlocking mechanism with a triangular wrench. The lift must stop immediately.
• The landing door is secured with a door stay. The emergency switch on the car roof is actuated. After the landing door has closed, the lift may not start again.
• The landing door is reopened and secured. The emergency switch is returned to its operating position. The inspection control is then activated. After the landing door has closed, the lift may not start again. The external display panel must indicate that the lift is out of order.
• Immediately after re-opening of the landing doors the emergency switch is actuated. It should not be possible for the car to travel. You can then get onto the car roof. The landing doors may only be closed once the inspection control is activated. Only then can the emergency switch be returned to its operating position. The service personnel check the functions of the inspection control in a safe position. The lift may only move when both controls (dead man’s handle and any direction switches) have been pressed.

Risk of stumbling, slipping and falling when climbing

During work on lifts, accidents frequently occur when people are climbing onto the car roof from the landing. This often involves stumbling or falling accidents, caused by projecting structures (such as door imposts, controllers) or the lack of things to hold onto. Consequently, both when climbing on and off, care should be taken that the car roof is flush with the threshold and there are no great height differences. Attention should also be paid to built-in structures, potential blocked areas and the permissible weight-bearing load of the car roof.

Features well suited for holding onto are for example the car roof railing, the landing door frame or the ropes. Apart from adequate solidity, attention should also be paid to avoiding injury from sharp edges or projecting wire rope strands.

Suitable personal protection equipment includes helmets, gloves and anti-slip S3 class safety shoes. Depending on the result of the hazard evaluation, wearing long-sleeved clothing may be necessary.

Presence and trips in the shaft

The number of people and accompanying material – especially in cramped spaces – should be kept as low as possible. Trips with open landing doors are not permitted. A safe position should be found if the lift is underway with the inspection control.

Otherwise, there is a risk that limbs can be dragged in or severed by the shaft structures as the lift moves. Performing work during the trip is forbidden. Necessary inspection work, such as visual checks, should only be carried out during downward trips.

Leaving the car roof

Before leaving the car roof, it must be flush with the landing door threshold. The emergency switch must then be pressed with the inspection control activated. After getting onto the floor of the landing, the door is secured, the inspection mode terminated and the emergency switch reset.

The author is a specialist planner for lifts and technical equipment at the Trade Association Wood and Metal (BGHM).

More informations: bghm.de