Passenger Lift and
escalator guards
Passenger Lift and
escalator guards
Securing the machine room with a locked door is not enough because, once inside, even trained maintenance technicians are at risk from moving machinery. Unfortunately, this situation is commonplace with lifts in all types of buildings, including hotels, offices, hospitals, shopping centres, multi-storey car parks, industrial premises, transport hubs, tourist attractions, residential buildings and many others. Furthermore, the problem is not restricted to old lifts, as guarding in new installations is often not fit for purpose. Given the power and speed with which lift machinery operates, coming into contact with moving components such as sheaves, pulleys, cables, shafts, brakes, governors or hand wheels can result in life-changing injuries.
Custom-designed guarding
for lift machinery
We typically install custom-designed, localised, close-fitting sheet metal guards to prevent access to moving lift machinery. Following discussions with the maintenance technicians, our highly skilled and experienced designers produce working drawings on site. The guards will be fixed or movable and are normally fabricated from 2 mm mild steel with either punched apertures or welded wire mesh where visibility is required. Sections that need to be removed for access are fitted with the minimum number of fasteners, all of which are captive to prevent loss. The guards are finished with a tough polyester powder coating.
Comprehensive service for passenger lift machinery guards
For over 30 years Procter Machine Safety has designed, manufactured and installed bespoke passenger lift and escalator machinery guards that provide the necessary protection but without hindering inspection and maintenance. Whether for a new installation or for retrofitting, we offer a comprehensive passenger lift (elevator) machinery guarding service that includes:
- Site survey
- Risk assessment
- Discussions with stakeholders
- Design
- Manufacture
- Installation
Installation is carried out at an agreed time to minimise disruption. For urgent projects, we can provide a very fast turnaround and fit custom-made guards within two weeks of receiving an enquiry.
Why is lift
guarding required?
Lift machinery must be examined periodically to ensure the safety of users, and the person examining the lift and working in machine rooms should be able to do so without being exposed to undue risks. Most lifts are covered by The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER). For lifts not within the scope of LOLER, the owner or operator still has a duty of care towards people carrying out maintenance.
What does the law say about machine guarding?
The Lifts Directive and the Machinery Directive, together with the corresponding UK Regulations, therefore provide the requirements for safeguarding on new lifts. Nevertheless, lift owners and operators should not assume that their lifts are fully compliant; when Procter Machine Safety’s experts assess guarding in lift machine rooms, the guards are often found to fall far short of the requirements.
