What Lifts & Vertical Transport Covers
Vertical transport systems — passenger lifts (elevators), goods lifts, escalators, and moving walkways — are critical infrastructure in any multi-storey building. They directly affect accessibility, emergency evacuation capability, building value, and occupant experience.
Lifts are the most mechanically complex building system, with the highest regulatory requirements. A lift failure doesn't just cause inconvenience — entrapment is a safety incident, and a fall or door malfunction can be fatal.
Applicable Standards & Codes
Lift Standards in Bangladesh Context
- adopted Bangladesh Factories Act 1965 / Labour Act 2006 — Requires annual lift registration and inspection through DIFE
- referenced EN 81-20/50 (Lift Safety) — Commonly cited safety standard for lift installation and modernisation
- differs ASME A17.1 (Elevator Code) — US elevator safety code; not adopted in Bangladesh
- referenced BS EN 13015 (Lift Maintenance) — Referenced for maintenance planning; not independently enforced
| Standard | Scope | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| EN 81-20/50 | Safety rules for construction and installation of lifts | CEN |
| ASME A17.1 / CSA B44 | Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (US/Canada) | ASME |
| ISO 8100 | Lifts for the transport of persons and goods — safety rules | ISO |
| BNBC 2020 | Lift installation requirements for Bangladesh | HBRI / PWD |
| ISO 25745 | Energy performance of lifts and escalators | ISO |
| CIBSE Guide D | Transportation systems in buildings — design, selection, traffic analysis | CIBSE |
Key Metrics & Acceptance Criteria
| Parameter | Standard / Source | Good Practice | Red Flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lift availability | Industry / SLA | ≥ 98% (≤ 7.3 days downtime/year per lift) | < 95% or frequent breakdowns |
| Waiting time (average) | CIBSE Guide D | ≤ 30 seconds (office), ≤ 60 seconds (residential) | > 60 seconds consistently during peak |
| Handling capacity | CIBSE Guide D / ISO 8100 | 12–15% of building population in 5 minutes (office) | < 10% or long queues during peak |
| Entrapments per year | Industry | ≤ 1 per lift per year | > 3 per lift per year |
| Rescue response time | EN 81 / SLA | ≤ 30 minutes (urban), ≤ 60 minutes (remote) | > 60 minutes or no defined protocol |
| Door closing force | EN 81-20 / ASME A17.1 | ≤ 150 N kinetic energy (67 J max) | Doors slamming, no safety edge/light curtain |
| Levelling accuracy | EN 81 / ASME A17.1 | ± 10 mm at floor level | > 20 mm — trip hazard, wheelchair inaccessible |
| Speed | Design spec | 1.0–2.5 m/s (low-rise), 3.0–6.0 m/s (high-rise) | Noticeably slower than rated speed |
What to Inspect on Site
- Car condition: Interior finishes, lighting, ventilation fan, emergency phone/intercom, car operating panel, position indicator. Door operation — smooth or jerky?
- Landing doors: Door condition, gap between landing and car sill (should be minimal), door tracks clean, safety edges/light curtains functional.
- Machine room: Cleanliness, temperature (should be ≤ 40°C), controller condition, governor, motor/drive condition. Look for oil leaks, dust accumulation, overheating signs.
- Pit: Clean and dry (no water), buffer condition, limit switches, pit ladder, lighting, emergency stop button.
- Ride quality: Ride the lift — smooth acceleration/deceleration? Vibration? Noise? Accurate levelling at each floor?
- Safety features: Emergency phone works? Emergency lighting? Door reopening device functional? Fireman's switch present?
Bangladesh Context
- Lift registration with the Chief Inspector of Boilers (CIB) under the Bangladesh Boilers Act is technically required, though enforcement is inconsistent.
- Many lifts in Dhaka buildings are maintained by the installer's local agent. Quality of maintenance varies widely — request the maintenance contract and log.
- Entrapment rescue: FSCD is the default rescue agency. Response time in Dhaka can be 30–90 minutes. Building should have a trained in-house entrapment release team.
- Power outage: Lifts without Automatic Rescue Device (ARD) will trap occupants during power failure. ARD lowers the lift to the nearest floor and opens doors on battery power. Essential in Bangladesh.
- Accessibility: Most older Dhaka buildings lack accessible lifts (audible indicators, Braille buttons, adequate car size for wheelchairs).
References & Sources
- CIBSE Guide D — Transportation Systems in Buildings
- ASME A17.1 — Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators
- ISO 8100 — Lifts for Transport of Persons and Goods
- Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA)
- BNBC 2020 — Lift Installation Requirements (HBRI, Government of Bangladesh)
Insights & Guidance
- Lift availability target: ≥ 98% (≤ 7.3 days downtime per lift per year).
- Average waiting time should be ≤ 30 seconds for office buildings (CIBSE Guide D).
- Handling capacity: 12–15% of building population in 5 minutes during peak.
- Entrapments should be ≤ 1 per lift per year — track as a KPI.
- Automatic Rescue Device (ARD) is essential in Bangladesh due to frequent power outages.
- Lift maintenance contracts should specify response time, PPM schedule, availability guarantees.
Lifts are the most used mechanical system in any multi-storey building — and entrapment or malfunction directly impacts occupant safety and confidence. A poorly maintained lift is a liability: entrapments cause panic, delayed rescue causes injury, and door malfunctions can cause serious harm.
For commercial buildings, lift quality directly affects tenant satisfaction and property value. In pre-lease due diligence, lift age, condition, maintenance quality, and traffic handling capacity are standard assessment items.
- Entrapment — power failure, door fault, or control malfunction traps occupants. Risk escalates without ARD or trained rescue team.
- Door malfunction — doors opening with car not at floor level, closing on passengers, or failing to lock properly (most common lift accident cause).
- Free fall — extremely rare in modern lifts with multiple safety devices, but possible in poorly maintained lifts with bypassed safety switches.
- Insufficient capacity — long wait times, overcrowding, occupant frustration during peak periods. Cannot be fixed without adding lifts or improving dispatch.
- Obsolescence — lifts > 20 years old may have discontinued parts, making repair increasingly difficult and expensive.
- Lift installation certificate — from manufacturer or installer confirming compliance with applicable standard (EN 81 / ASME A17.1).
- Annual thorough examination report — by independent qualified engineer (not the maintenance contractor). Required by regulation in many jurisdictions.
- Maintenance contract — specifying scope (comprehensive/full maintenance vs. parts-only), response time, PPM schedule, availability guarantee.
- Maintenance log — record of every visit: date, engineer, work performed, parts replaced, faults found.
- Entrapment log — record of every entrapment: date, time, duration, cause, rescue method, corrective action.
- Insurance inspection certificate — annual lift insurance inspection (required for insurance validity).
- Door operation — smooth opening/closing with functioning safety edge or light curtain.
- Levelling accuracy — car floor level with landing floor (no step up/down).
- Ride quality — smooth, no vibration, no unusual noise.
- Car condition — lighting, ventilation, cleanliness, emergency phone functional.
- Machine room temperature — should be cool (≤ 40°C); overheating damages electronics.
- Pit condition — dry, clean, no debris, buffer springs intact.
- Position indicators and call buttons — all functional.
- How many lifts serve the building? What are their capacities (kg/persons) and speeds?
- What is the lift availability rate over the last 12 months?
- How many entrapments occurred in the last 12 months? What was the longest rescue time?
- Who maintains the lifts? Is it a comprehensive contract or parts-only?
- When was the last thorough examination by an independent engineer? What were the findings?
- Are the lifts equipped with ARD (Automatic Rescue Device) for power failure?
- What is the age of the lifts? Has modernisation been done or planned?
- Are lifts accessible (Braille, audible, wheelchair-compatible car size)?
- Pre-lease due diligence — lift condition survey and traffic analysis by independent lift consultant.
- Lift modernisation planning — specialist consultant for specification and vendor evaluation.
- Repeated entrapments or breakdowns — independent investigation beyond the maintenance contractor.
- New building fit-out — traffic analysis to verify lift provision is adequate for planned occupancy.
- Accessibility compliance — lift accessibility audit against EN 81-70 or ADA requirements.