Inadequate accessibility area for maintenance works

• Description of defect

Cramped elevator pit areas will impose difficulty to the maintenance personnel to do inspection, cleaning, or maintenance on a regular basis. Similarly, the areas would need an adequate lighting system to allow for maintenance and inspection works.

• Causes

Poor building design

• Diagnostic/testing method

Lighting provision -The illuminance of the surface shall be measured in luminance (Lux) by using spectroradiometer, luminance meter or a chroma meter. Meanwhile, it can also be quantified in candles/square meter (cd/m²)

• Good practices

Working space provision – For the hoistway that equipped with machinery (MRL), the hoistway should provide a clear space of at least 2 m height (from the blocked position), 0.5 m wide x 0.6 m deep for the purpose of maintenance and inspection of parts and control panels.

The platform shall be provided with electrical safety device and safety railings, able to support mass of two persons, (each 1000 N) on area of 0.2 m x 0.2 m with being deformed, and provide manually or electrically operate device to lower and retract the platform (SS550).

Lighting provision -The hoistway shall be provided with electric lighting with minimum illumination of 15 lux, located 1 m above the centre of the car roof and the pit floor. For partially and glass enclosed wells, electric lighting may not be necessary when the sufficient lighting is available.

For the hoistway that equipped with machinery (MRL), the hoistway should provide electric lighting with at least 200 lux at the foot of the machine or control cabinet (SS550). EN81-20:2014 required a minimum of 50 lux 1 meter above the car roof within its vertical projection.

• Corrections

Lighting provision -Providing adequate access may require the installation of access doors that will assist in a case of emergency. For rescue purposes, the inspection doors and emergency doors shall capable to be opened from inside the hoistway without a key even when it is locked. Besides, the hoistway should be well ventilated to provide a comfortable condition for inspection work. An opening shall be provided at the top of the hoistway, with minimum area of 1% of the horizontal cross section area of the hoistway.

If the ventilation opening is less than 0.15 m² of the net free area, the opening shall be ventilated to the open air directly, or via ducting or through the machine room.

Lighting provision – Areas should be illuminated with an adequate lighting systems to allow the personnel to clearly see equipment and all areas within the pit. Installing new fixtures with higher illuminance may be required