THE SAFETY OF PERSONS COULD BE COMPROMISED IF LANDING DOOR/GATE INTERLOCKS AND LOCKS AND CONTACTS DON’T FUNCTION PROPERLY

BACKGROUND

We were recently advised of an incident in another jurisdiction involving a vertical enclosed type handicapped lift with a partial hoistway enclosure (walls and landing gate at least 1070 mm high all around) as permitted by code at the top landing.

While assisting an elderly person in a wheelchair, an attendant opened a landing gate on the top landing of a building and started to pull the chair backward into the lift. Unfortunately, the lift had left the upper landing with the gate at that landing closed but not locked. The assistant and the wheelchair with the elderly person fell down the lift hoistway.  The person riding in the wheelchair received fatal injuries.

The lift involved was installed under the B355-M86 Safety Code for Elevating Devices for the Handicapped. The 1986 edition was the last edition that permitted landing doors or gates to be equipped with combination locks and contacts limited to where the  maximum travel (upper landing sill to bottom landing sill) was 2500 mm.

SAFETY ISSUE

An investigation revealed that the combination lock and contact failed to lock the upper landing gate when the lift descended from the landing. Even though the upper gate was not in the locked position, the electrical contact made up and allowed the lift leave the upper landing.

PREVENTIVE ACTION

Owners - In Alberta, owners are required by the Safety Codes Act to maintain their lifts in safe operating condition at all times. Therefore, owners should ensure that qualified persons maintain their lifts and in particular, that landing doors and gates are checked frequently to ensure they are locked when the lift is not at the landing. If it is found that any landing door does not lock, secure the defective landing door and the lift against public access until the malfunction is properly repaired.

Lift Contractors - Check all landing doors or gates on vertical handicapped lifts that your company maintains, repairs or inspects to ensure they’re locked when the lift is not at the landing and

Effect repairs immediately as necessary. Report the details (e.g. device location and provincial I.D. number) of any instances where such defects are found to AEDARSA.

Accredited Agencies – The Proper adjustment and function of landing door interlocks and combination locks and contacts are among the important items to be included in yearly inspections.

If any landing door interlock or combination lock and contact fails to function properly to lock landing doors/gates when a lift is not at the landing, ensure that the defective landing door and the lift is secured against public access until the malfunction is properly repaired.