60% of residential lifts ‘non-compliant’ with safety regulations

60% of lifts in residential buildings are estimated to be in default of safety laws, according to information which emerged during a seminar for lift owners and administrators organised yesterday by the Malta Lifts Association (MLA).

The association is a self-regulating body set up by lift installers committed to delivering quality and safety.

"Lifts put to use up to 31 December 1999 should have undergone thorough examination by now," an association spokesperson said. "The deadlines have now elapsed, but we estimate that around 60% of residential lifts have still not undergone thorough examination. This means they are in default of the law and potentially unsafe."

Lifts in residential buildings should undergo regular inspection to ensure passenger safety: Final Conformity Inspection when the lift is installed, Preventive Inspection every year, and Thorough Examination every 10 years or whenever the lift is extended. Inspection should be carried out by an Accredited Conformity Assessment Body (ACAB).

Lifts that are found to be non-compliant have to be brought into line by a stipulated deadline.

Lift owners and administrators could be held legally responsible for injury or damage resulting from an unsafe lift, but many are unaware of their legal rights and obligations and the attendant safety risks. Around 80% of cases referred to the MLA are due to lift owners' lack of awareness of lift safety regulations. The seminar was aimed at helping to address the problem.

Speakers included Lorna Mifsud Cachia and Ray Spiteri of the MLA and Michael Cassar and John Zerafa of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.