Lifts
Theme 4
Lifts
Last updated: 01 August 2022
Recommendation
33.13a
That the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to carry out regular inspections of any lifts that are designed to be used by firefighters in an emergency and to report the results of such inspections to their local fire and rescue service at monthly intervals.
Responsible for completion:
- Government
Progress
Status
The Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation (carried out in 2020). The Government responded to the consultation in 2021 (link).
On 18 May 2022 the Government laid regulations under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.
Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by fire-fighters, evacuation lifts and other essential fire-fighting equipment. Where a fault is identified which will take longer than 24 hours to fix, the responsible person must report this via electronic means to their local fire and rescue service.
Recommendation
33.13b
That the owner and manager of every high-rise residential building be required by law to carry out regular tests of the mechanism which allows firefighters to take control of the lifts and to inform their local fire and rescue service at monthly intervals that they have done so
Responsible for completion:
- Government
Progress
Status
The Government consulted on its proposals to implement this recommendation in its Fire Safety Consultation (carried out in 2020). The Government responded to the consultation in 2021 (link).
On 18 May 2022 the Government laid regulations under Article 24 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to implement this recommendation. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 came into force on 23 January 2023.
Under the Regulations, the responsible person for a high-rise residential building must undertake monthly checks of lifts for use by fire-fighters, evacuation lifts and other essential fire-fighting equipment. Where a fault is identified which will take longer than 24 hours to fix, the responsible person must report this via electronic means to their local fire and rescue service.