Common types of lift misuse

The People’s Action Party town councils’ lift taskforce cited vandalism and misuse of lifts as common causes of lift failures. Here are some examples of how lifts are commonly misused:

WEDGING ITEMS INTO DOOR FRAMES

It has become common practice among some renovation workers and movers to place wedges of wood or cardboard into lift frames to keep the door open as they go about their work. Done repeatedly over time, the act can cause the lifts’ safety edge to be misaligned with a safety switch behind the device, stopping the lift doors from closing or opening.

ITEMS BLOCKING DOORS FROM CLOSING

The transportation of sand, cement and tiles can cause lift doors to be jammed, if enough material gathers in the grooves at the bottom edge of the door. Sometimes, stones can also get stuck in the gap between the hall door and the car door.

TROLLEYS OR PRAMS INTERFERING WITH CLOSING DOORS

Repeated ramming of trolleys and prams in between lift doors to prevent them from closing might cause the door-sensor devices — which are installed along the edges of the door — to malfunction over time.