Although a lift can also provide structural support for a building, its primary reason for existing is providing access to different levels of a building for those that visit or work there.
A new lift can be installed quite easily, but it does take planning, plus it needs to be functional and extremely safe.
In order to do this properly, you must consider these five things before commencing this project. Before we go into the main article if you are in need of lift repairs see here.
1. Determine Its Lifting Capacity
Before the start of any project, proper planning is always recommended, and you must consider many things including the wait time for passengers, and its lifting requirements before you install one at all.
These calculations must be made and taken into consideration before you choose a lift, some of which will include the distribution of people that work at the building where it will soon be.
A multistory building, for example, will likely have many people, and there are times when not everyone will be able to get on at certain times of the day that are going to be consistent throughout the week.
2. The Environment Of The Building
The location of the lift, and where it will be installed, must be the focus of the installer, usually based upon requirements that you have recommended to ensure that it will serve everyone in the building equally.
The consideration of how tall the building is, how many floors there are, will all factor into deciding on the proper position within the building to help all of your workers and visitors get to where they need to go.
3. Always Consider The Lunchtime Rush
Buildings that are going to be put in a café, or that already have one, need to factor this in as well. If it is on the lowest floor, an area that can be extremely congested during the morning and lunchtime hours of operation, this is where the lift will primarily be going with people that need to eat. This is true for those that are just coming to get coffee, were individuals that would like it for breakfast.
If you do have a central location where everyone in the building is going to eat, you can choose to also place this at the top of the building instead of the bottom; by installing an additional lift, you can eliminate any congestion issues that could occur by simply having two of these installed instead of one.
4. Safety Considerations To Make
As mentioned before, safety is always a primary issue of focus. It is so important to get a lift that can be safe for everyone. Not only must it be able to handle the weight of people using it, but it also needs to have safety factors installed such as alarms, or a way for people to contact others for help if something goes wrong.
There are work equipment regulations that were established in the 1990s by PUWER, and others by LOLER, that must also be considered. Routine maintenance should be on the schedule, ensuring that any problems that may arise can be handled by these fully trained technicians that will know how to resolve any issues and potentially prevent more catastrophic problems from occurring.
5. The Ideal Lift Design
Safety is so important with the installation and use of any lift, yet it is also equally important to consider where it is and how it will look. In a new modern office complex,