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Lift Safety Policy

Contents

Introduction

At the time of Policy approval Bassetlaw District Council manages in the region of 6,698 tenanted properties. Passenger lifts within non-domestic properties and other lifts and lifting equipment within flat blocks and in individual dwellings need to be inspected and kept safe for use and must be regularly maintained.

This Policy explains how Bassetlaw District Council’s commitments to       lift access safety – within domestic and non-domestic properties funded via the Housing Revenue Account and as a result directly managed by Housing Services staff – will be met. It will be supported by a Lift Safety Management Plan providing more detailed guidance and procedures.

Statement of Intent

Alongside this Policy will sit Bassetlaw District Council's Corporate Lift Safety Procedures, which emphasise and illustrate the organisation's commitment and approach to Lift Safety compliance within its non-Housing Revenue Account funded facilities as managed by other staff of the Council outside of Housing Services.

The key objective of this Policy is to describe how Bassetlaw District Council will meet the required statutory, contractual and regulatory requirements in relation to Lift Safety. It will also cover how the Bassetlaw District Council/Cabinet, as Duty Holder, will receive assurance of statutory and regulatory compliance.

The scope of this Policy includes passenger lifts, lifting equipment, stair lifts, vertical (through floor) lifts, ceiling track hoists, mobile hoists, bath lifts and slings. 

Bassetlaw District Council will comply with all current and legislation and specifically as detailed in the following:

PUWER and LOLER apply in workplaces and in non-workplace communal parts that may be used by workers. They may also apply in properties that contain equipment used by people in a work capacity. Bassetlaw District Council will access each situation within individual dwellings and decide if it has become a workplace if support services are being provided.

Bassetlaw District Council also acknowledges its obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and Landlord Tenant Act 1985.

In addition, as a Landlord and provider of Social Housing District Council must meet the requirements of the Regulator for Social Housing’s (RSH) Safety and Quality Standard.
  
It is essential to ensure customers, contractors, staff and remain safe in our premises (both individual homes and offices. Failure to properly discharge our legal responsibilities may result in:

  • Prosecution by the Health and Safety Executive under Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
  • Prosecution under Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007.
  • RSH scrutiny.
  • Reputational damage to the Authority and staff.
  • Loss of confidence by stakeholders in the organisation.

Policy

In order to comply with regulatory standards and legal obligations, and        to ensure the safety of their customers, staff, contractors and visitors to      their properties, Bassetlaw District Council will:

Process

  • Provide clear lines of responsibility for the management of Lift Safety supported by written guidance in the Lift Safety Management Plan.
  • Ensure that a clear and consistent process including front-line engagement and enforcement is in place to obtain access to properties to undertake Lift Safety checks, which shall include legal action when required.
  • Proactively assess available data for relevant information about the customer to help gain access (disability, vulnerability, local connections, etc.).

Delivery

  • Ensure a Thorough Examination is undertaken, where applicable, to all lifts and all its associated equipment by a Competent Person.
  • The Thorough Examination will be undertaken at no more than 6-month intervals for lifts that carry people.
  • Thorough Examinations will be undertaken throughout the lifetime of the equipment as follows;
    • Before use for the first time.
    • After assembly and before use at each location. 
    • Regularly, while in service.
    • Following exceptional circumstances (damage or failure/major changes etc.). 

  • Ensure the Thorough Examination report contains information compliant with LOLER Schedule1.
  • Undertake supplementary testing in accordance with the Safety Assessment Federation (SAfed) guidance if requested by the Competent Person.
  • Thorough Examination duties notwithstanding, ensure all equipment is maintained for the continued safety of staff, customers, contractors and visitors and that it remains in a state of good repair.
  • The frequency and nature of maintenance will be based on a risk assessment which considers the following;
    • The manufacturer's recommendations.
    • The intensity of use.
    • The operating environment (e.g. the effect of temperature, corrosion, weathering) user knowledge and experience.
    • The risk to health and safety from reasonably foreseeable failure or malfunction.
  • New passenger lifts will be installed to BS EN 81-20 and 81-50 and the Equality Act 2010.

Contractors Competency

  • Bassetlaw District Council has a responsibility to ensure that contractors are competent and the following controls will operate to ensure competence can be demonstrated:
  • For all Thorough Examinations and supplementary testing, use companies that are UKAS accredited to ISO/IEC17020 standard.
  • Ensure that all lifting equipment works will be undertaken by trained and competent contractors with appropriate practical and theoretical knowledge and experience of the particular lifting equipment and have an element of independence and impartiality.
  • Use Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) affiliated contractors for all repairs, servicing and new installations.
  • Carry out an assessment of all contractor competencies annually or at change of contract/contractor, as detailed within the Lift Safety Management Plan.

Internal Competency

  • Maintain a skills/training matrix to ensure that all staff undertaking key roles within the scope of this Policy have appropriate training.
  • Operate a detailed competence framework including regular appraisals as part of the Lift Safety Management Plan.

Data

  • Maintain an up to date Master Database of all properties where the Council have a responsibility to provide Lift Safety checks and maintenance.
  • For each relevant property record maintain up to date data confirming which lifting systems and appliances within the scope of this Policy exist and do not exist and the organisation’s associated responsibility.
  • Where a requirement exists hold data and certification as defined within the legislation, which is generally for the lifetime of the system /equipment.
  • Hold lift access safety maintenance records electronically in the Master Database by the relevant operational department to be specifically identified in the Management Plan with other Landlord Compliance records.  There may be instances where a hard copy is kept on site and these will be detailed again in the Management Plan.
  • Where a requirement does not exist hold appropriate evidence.

Assurance

  • Ensure that all persons involved with Lift Safety are properly trained and accredited.
  • Carry out works-based assurance activity including checks on certification and post-inspection of onsite works to the level stated within the Management Plan. A proportion of such checks will be carried out by an Independent 3rd Party.
  • Set a timetable for the review of the Lift Safety Policy and the associated Management Plan.

Communication

  • Encourage customers, through the provision of publicity information, to allow access to carry Lift Safety checks and inspections and remedial works.

Implementation

This Policy will be effective from 17th March 2020, Council/Cabinet approval. 

Staff will be made aware of the Policy at priority training and a copy will be available on the intranet. The Policy will be uploaded to Bassetlaw District Council website. 

This Policy should also be read in conjunction with the Strategy and Lift Safety Management Plan.  

There will be training provided for all those staff involved with the delivery and implementation of the Compliance function both operationally and legislatively.

Consultation

This Policy is based on legislative and regulatory such consultation with customers has not taken place. There has been consultation with internal teams within Bassetlaw District Council. 

Equality Analysis (EA)

We believe all people should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race (including, nationality, ethnic or national origins), religion, belief or non-belief, sex, or sexuality or by association with someone with any of these characteristics or perception of having any of these characteristics.

The Equality Assessment was undertaken October 2019 and adverse discrimination was found. (See the full EA document for details).

The Council Plan 2019 to 2023 has actions to ‘Improve the quality and performance of Bassetlaw’s housing stock, by regularly inspecting them to ensure that they are maintained to the highest possible standard’ and ‘Ensure that our housing stock is safe and compliant’.

The Council, as a Landlord has statutory, regulatory and legislative requirements it must comply with in respect of areas of compliance.  
These include but are not restricted to Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Construction (Design Management) Regulations 2015, Control of Asbestos Regulation 2012, Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998, Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, Housing Act 2004.

Failure to comply with these requirements could expose tenants and residents to injury, extreme harm or death and the Council being fined or prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive.

Monitoring Performance

The following KPIs will be reported:

  • % of Passenger Lift LOLER Inspections completed on time. Ref: C014
  • Number & % of Stair, Hoists and Vertical Lift Service Inspections completed on time. Ref: C015
  • The total number of reportable incidents under RIDDOR for all 6 compliance areas. Ref: C016

Commentary will be provided for any installations out of date to include the date they became overdue, days overdue, and their position within the access legal process to bring them back into a compliant position. Commentary will also be provided if any installations have outstanding overdue actions, or are out of use. To provide additional context commentary will also include information on the proportion of activities within the reporting period that were undertaken before and after their due date.

Policy Review

This Policy will be reviewed every 12 months or earlier if deemed necessary through the performance monitoring process.

Version 6.0.

 

Last Updated on Wednesday, April 22, 2026