Lift and Hoist Safety

Lift and Lifting Equipment   

We are responsible for the maintenance and repairs of communal lifts and if you have a lift in your home, stair lifts and lifting equipment, such as hoists to ensure they are safe to use.   

We regularly carry out inspections and services to make sure the lifts in our buildings are safe to use and to help prevent breakdowns.   

If you have a through floor lift, stair lift or hoist equipment in your home, it’s important that you give us access to service, inspect and maintain these when required as per your tenancy agreement. This is to make sure the equipment is safe for you, your family and your carers to use and to help pr event any equipment breaking down.

Our responsibilities

We have responsibilities around the inspection, maintenance, and repairs to ensure all equipment is working as it should be: 

  • Commercial Lifts (in our buildings): These are inspected every six months, plus additional checks according to the manufacturer’s instructions (every 1-3 months). Magenta colleagues at high-rise buildings will also carry out daily inspections 

  • Domestic Lifts/Hoists (in customer’s homes): These are inspected once a year to ensure they are safe and work properly. We are legally required to maintain the equipment until it’s no longer repairable (including domestic lifts/hoists) 

Your responsibilities

  • When using a lift, press the lift call button only once to ensure this doesn’t cause any faults 

  • Never block the lift doors from closing with your body, hands, or objects 

  • To keep the doors open, use the "DOOR OPEN" button 

  • Stand clear of the doors and keep items away from the opening 

  • If available, hold onto the handrail inside the lift 

  • Never exceed the maximum weight for the lift, as this can cause it to breakdown 

What happens if the lift breaks down?

If the lift breaks down, we will arrange for an engineer to attend and diagnose the problem as soon as possible. The engineer will always try to leave the lift in working order where possible.  

Where this is not possible, they will inform us and if necessary, we will make provision for customers that rely on the lift to access their homes. This might be by using the other lift in the building or we will provide the necessary support. We will keep you updated about the repairs to the lift and when it is likely to be repaired.

If you are in the lift when it breaks down, remember to 

  • Stay calm! 

  • Press the "Call" or "Emergency" button to reach the emergency response team 

  • Never try to open the doors yourself - wait for help to arrive 

 
Using lifts in the event of a fire or emergency

  • Lifts will automatically stop and return to the ground floor during a fire 

  • Use the building’s escape route instead if you can 

  • Lifts will only be used again when the Fire Service says it’s safe to do so 

Equipment in your home

  • Inspection and maintenance - Lifts and hoists are checked and maintained once a year

  • If your equipment breaks down -
         — Contact us immediately to report the fault or break down
             — We’ll arrange for an engineer to fix it as soon as we can
         —     If it can’t be fixed right away, we’ll let you know and arrange repairs as soon as possible

  • Removing equipment: if the equipment is no longer needed, we’ll remove it upon request 

Contact us

If you have any queries or need to speak to a member of our team about any of the above information, contact us by calling us on 0808 100 9596 or emailing us contactus@magentaliving.org.uk