Does the UK Lift Industry Need a Standard for Maintenance?
One Consulting Engineer Says It’s Overdue (and that’s our very own Colin Craney).
In his latest article for Elevator World, Colin explains that we have standards for almost everything in the lift industry, so why not maintenance itself? That’s the question consulting engineer Colin Craney puts to the sector in his latest Elevator World column, and his answer is a firm yes.
Craney points out a striking gap: while the UK’s lift and escalator sector maintains roughly 350,000 lifts and escalators and employs around 10,000 people, there’s currently no dedicated maintenance standard to fall back on, despite a raft of British Standards covering maintenance in other industries.
He’s particularly critical of the quality gap this creates, warning that rock-bottom pricing from some contractors, paired with minimal maintenance, undermines both conscientious operators and the industry’s wider reputation. He also raises concerns with maintenance contracts themselves, describing some terms he’s reviewed as so skewed against customers that he questions whether anyone would ever knowingly accept them.
Even technologies once expected to transform the industry haven’t escaped scrutiny; Craney argues that remote monitoring and IoT, once seen as a cure-all, have made little real difference so far.
Read Colin Craney’s full case for a UK maintenance standard on Elevator World here.
What do you think?
Colin Craney has 42 years of industry experience, initially in a number of field and management roles with Otis, followed by 17 years in consulting, currently for SVM Associates. Colin is a U.K. chartered engineer and a fellow of CIBSE, European engineer, chartered safety and health practitioner, accredited consultant on the HSE Occupational Safety and Health Consultants Register and a member of the Chartered Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. Colin is a barrister, having been called to the bar by the Honourable Society of the Middle Temple.
Established in 2004, SVM Associates prides itself on its industry expertise, persistent attention to detail, personable working style and unique approach to all aspects of building services, including Lifts, Escalators and Facade Access, Mechanical, Electrical and Public Health and Facilities Management.
