Stuck in lift for more than three hours at St Vincent de Paul Home

Christopher Bianco

Oct 8th 2012, 18:47

and if most of them were over weight??

Vanessa-clair Farrugia

Oct 8th 2012, 21:16

Mr Pavia, depends on the size of the passengers. Five women weighing 50kgs each would weigh in at a total of 250kg, five bodybuilders weighing in at 100kgs each would total 500kgs. Five obese persons, weighing in at 100kgs each would as well total 500kgs. Do the maths. Now in Malta there are far more obese people, than there are bodybuilders...

Michael Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 16:35

The car safety gear on hydraulic lifts stops the car from moving downwards. Attempts at lowering the car cause the brake to increase its grip on the guide rails. The brake is released by manually pumping the lift car upwards.

Hydraulic lifts installed from July 2002 onwards must, by law, include this apparatus as also a valve for lowering the lift car where conditions so require. Lifts installed before that date, while including the manual valve, did not necessarily include the 'hand-pump' to move the car upwards as there was no regulation in place stipulating its inclusion.

Where the hand-pump is absent, chain blocks must be used to move the car upwards to release the grip of the safety break and to raise the car far enough to enable trapped persons to exit.

paul camilleri

Oct 8th 2012, 13:57

Mr Bajada , either you dont know how to read or your to SMART to understand .. " THE LIFT IS MAINTAINED REGULARY"

Corinne Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 15:35

Posted o.b.o Malta Lift Association www.mla.org.mt

Lift regulations (L. R. 2002) state that new lift installations should include a car overload device to stop the lift moving if it is overloaded. This pre-empts the lift car from getting stuck between floor levels due to overloading. The regulations also state that new lift installations should include the means of manually pumping a lift car upwards to the next floor level. This means that the lift's safety brake still protects lift users in case of, say, a malfunctioning or improperly set car-overload device but qualified personnel can then manually operate the lift to enable users to exit safely. The safety mechanisms (car overload device, manual override) and relevant equipment are *compulsory* in all vertical passenger lift installations dating from July 2002.

Desmond Mangion

Oct 8th 2012, 13:35

So what you are saying is that, if its British it will never breakdown . i m in Wales right now writing this commet on a bus which broke down 1hr 20mins ago, still not fixed. British ? no thanks

Corinne Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 16:01

Posted o.b.o Malta Lift Association www.mla.org.mt

Passenger lift safety in Malta is governed by regulations (Lifts Regulations, Machinery Regulations, Product Safety Act) that adopt EU safety standards. The provenance of lift equipment alone is not considered to be a sufficient indicator of its safety. When sourcing lift equipment, lift suppliers are legally obliged to ensure that the equipment meets regulatory safety standards, regardless of its provenance.

So lift equipment which meets safety standards and is sourced from, say, Italy, is deemed to be in line with safety regulations, whereas lift equipment sourced from, say, Britain, which does not meet regulatory requirements for safety, is not deemed safe.

Elaine Sultana

Oct 8th 2012, 22:00

If you are from Manchester, you must have travelled via Manchester Airport sometime, though perhaps not recently. I am a Maltese living in the North of England who uses this airport very regularly and as I am slightly claustrophobic, I feel very nervous using the lifts there as I have been stuck inside them twice, not for 3 hours, but just long enough to get into a panic: the lifts are ancient; we passengers get into these lifts gingerly and grin at one another as they crank themselves up - and open very slowly. They are very likely standard British make. As for the Airport exterior, that is a disaster..... an embarrassment not only to Mancunians but to the UK generally - slabs of shabby, broken concrete have turned the airport into a maze.... It is hard to get into the right lane for the terminal(s) you need and this has been the case for about 18 months.


Elaine Sultana, Blackburn, England

Corinne Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 22:19

Posted o.b.o. Malta Lift Association www.mla.org.mt

It should be noted that, in addition to adopting EU safety standards, regulations governing lift safety in Malta - i.e. Product Safety Act (2001), Lifts Regulations (2002), Inspection of Lifts Regulations (2007), Machinery Regulations (2009) - transpose EU Directives relating to lift safety.

Dom.J. Bugejja

Oct 8th 2012, 18:55

Corinne Vella> Whats so good about British standard, only in theory but in practice most British standard equipment is deemed as crap as far as i am concern.

Michael Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 20:24

@ Dom. J. Bugejja. European Standards apply to all countries forming part of the EU, including Britain. British Standards are essentially European Standards transposed into the British regulatory structure, in the same way that European Standards were transposed into Malta's National Standards, and as was similarly done in the rest of EU countries. No product may be placed on the market anywhere in the EU unless the product conforms to the relevant EU standard. In the case of passenger lifts the standard is EN.81.

JIMMY ATANASIO

Oct 8th 2012, 15:18

why do you even have a newspaper.it's such a small island that every body knows every body's bussiness anyways.but you must all know that shit happens and you shoould follow protocall

Corinne Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 13:33

Posted o.b.o Malta Lift Association www.mla.org.mt

Regulations [L.R. 2002] state that new lift installations are subject to initial inspection by a Notified Body. Initial inspection takes place once the installation is complete and before the lift is formally put to use. The installation can be certified for use only if it meets all established safety criteria, after which the lift should be formally registered with the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority.

Where bed transport is required - as in care homes or hospitals - cabin space needs to be large enough to accommodate a bed, a patient and accompanying persons. A larger than usual cabin space does not automatically compromise a lift's safe load capacity as this is pre-defined according to use. EU standards (EN.81) apply to lifts in Malta, setting the ratio of a lift’s load capacity to its car floor area. At 2.2 square feet/75Kg, a 400Kg lift should provide space for 5 average-sized people, with some elbow room.

For their own safety and convenience, when entering a lift, passengers should refer to the load capacity displayed inside the lift cabin. The key figure is the Kg rating. The stated number of persons is for guidance only as individuals’ body weight differs.

paul camilleri

Oct 8th 2012, 15:20

@ Corinne Vella

exactly my point , in which case the people going into the lift should of done a mental arithmatic 2 people x 80kg= 160kg 2 people x 120kg =240 kg + 160Kg =400Kg so the fifth person should not of got on but because of the large space a person never reads the total weight load let alone bother in calculations. if they can get in then its ok. this has nothing to do with servicing in fact the lift worked near perfect by breaking. where it did not work perfectly was in calculating the weight before it went on its decent/ascent.

Corinne Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 16:39

Posted o.b.o. Malta Lift Association www.mla.org.mt

A car overload device ordinarily prevents a passenger lift from moving if the lift is overloaded. Not all passenger lifts are fitted with a car overload device and a manual override option (which allows qualified personnel to move the lift car to the next floor level when necessary) as these safety mechanisms became compulsory in July 2002 for new passenger lift installations.

Under Legal Notice 231/2007 “Inspection of Lifts Regulations 2007”, a car overload device and manual override mechanism, along with other safety modifications, are now mandatory in ALL passenger lifts. This is in line with European Standard EN.81-80 (Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Existing lifts - Part 80: Rules for the improvement of safety of existing passengers and good passenger lifts).

Car overload devices and manual override mechanisms can be retroactively installed in passenger lifts. IRL.2007 sets different compliance deadlines depending on the year a particular lift was first put to use, allowing lift owners enough time to bring their lift in line with current safety standards.

Chris Borg

Oct 8th 2012, 08:54

andek zball ikrah. Is sistema li qed issemmi int fkas li jinqata id dawl tezisti u mhux meta haqbad il brake jew ikolu xi hsara il lift. Biex ma nparlawx bla sens taparsi nifmu

Franco Farrugia

Oct 8th 2012, 09:52

Agree completely with you. Imagine if they had been senior citizens, residents of the Home.

paul camilleri

Oct 8th 2012, 15:52

Mr Williams

"overloaded l anqas biss jibda jahdem u jdoqq l alarm" this is what you said, this is why a lot of things are going wrong, like car accidents , ignoring of traffic lights, and stop signs , are you waiting for an alarm to go off on those too and then again why bother you would still drive on le???

because this is what you are saying keep on going never mind the excess weight!!!!! go down in a glorious sound of siren blearing

also are you an expert on lifts??? do you know something these readers do not?? one hopes that people begin to show responsibility and not over load a lift just because there is space in it, probably something you do yourself.

paul camilleri

Oct 8th 2012, 09:34

sir this is a typical Maltese attitude issue if one simply sees the label stating 400Kg max weight and already sees 3 people in it, it does not take a rocket scientist to see that if the 4th and 5th person gets on the lift it would be over loaded!!!

Vanessa-clair Farrugia

Oct 8th 2012, 21:09

Dear Mr Camilleri, depends on the persons inside the lift. If they are of small build, (I'm just shy of 50kgs) the lift can carry 8 such passengers safely. For the obese, unfortunately, they should take the stairs.

paul camilleri

Oct 9th 2012, 08:12

@ Vanessa

Dear Ms Farrugia havent the obese got the same rights as you??? again if you weigh a shy 50kgs and you say 8 people can take the lift i ask you how many times have you riden a lift and had all the people inside the lift with the same or near enough same weight as yourself?? and why 8?? are you in favour of loading it to the max???

as i said this is a typical Maltese attitude if there is space just get in and dont even bother about the weight restrictions

maybe if you counted before and even judged an approximate weight of each individual inside the lift you would say to yourself hhmm there are 4 people in this lift 2 obese about 120Kg each and 1 medium weight 80kg 1 feather weight about your weight that brings in a total of 370kg still in the limits of the lifts weight would you get on?? or would you think twice about it

Michael Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 15:09

If the lift was put into use less than 24 months ago, the installation is still covered by statutory warranty and due action taken against the installer concerned, and the matter may also be referred to the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority (MCCAA).

In general however, the obvious thing is to entrust lift support services to a competent lift technician or service company, rather than persist in calling in an incompetent one.

Simon Vella

Oct 8th 2012, 09:29

Excuse me, from where you know that it is an old lift? Maybe you work there or with the department? Do you know the nature of the fault??? If an emergency brake engages lift stops there and then and not like what happened to the 'lift' in Marsascala. Could be that lift in question is one of the newest and safest Ms Borg. The fact that it stopped does not mean it is dangerous. True, its an inconvenience when a lift stops but then what does not stop?

Vanessa-clair Farrugia

Oct 8th 2012, 21:04

Yepp, that's 80kgs for each person. Unless, they are rather tall, they are most probably over weight. They could be 80kgs+ of pure muscle of course, in which case, the latter wouldn't mind taking the stairs, I'm sure. :)