Since acquring the management responsibilities we have had to attend to a significant number of lift breakdowns. Some of these breakdowns are due to the age of the lifts along with general wear and tear. However, the majority of breakdowns have been caused by the transporting of large items such as furniture. We do not want to prevent reisdents from using the lifts to transport large items as doing so using just the stairs is dangerous and inconvenient. Therefore, we would like to share our plans on improving the lifts to make them more robust.
All blocks apart from Block 4 have two lifts. We have ensured that there is at least one lift in operation in each block and will continue with this approach while dealing with upgrades and repairs as a way of minimising disruption and inconvenience.
Due to the age of the lifts we commissioned a condition report on each lift in August 2022. The results of these reports was that the lifts were generally in a good condition. Minor repairs were identified to several lifts which were commissioned immediately.
The doors to the lifts are controlled by a series of cogs and rubber belts. These are easily disturbed if the lift doors receive an impact or are propped open for a significant period of time. This will cause the doors to become misaligned resulting in the lift shutting down.
We have sourced a method of replacing this mechanism with a more robust system made from metal cogs and chains which we hope will aleviate this problem and make the lift doors more robust. This is a bespoke solution with parts being manufactured specifically for this.
We are trialling this on one lift initially to establish its effectiveness. Providing this is successful we will look to roll out to one lift per block this year and the remaining next year. We will undertake these upgrades when a lift is in need of repair.
The lift being trialled is the lift in Block 2 which is currently out of service due to a broken door mechanism. It is anticipated to be installed within the next 3-4 weeks.
In addition to the above improvements we will be installing CCTV in the lift lobby areas so that we can establish the cause of a failure when there is a breakdown. Any instances of mis-use or malicious damage will be dealt with appropriately.
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The Hicking Building RTM Company Ltd
Company Number: 0695699