The Technical Regulations Division of the Malta Competition and Consumer Affairs Authority has informed the public that all lifts installed in Malta need to satisfy the following criteria in order to ensure the safety of the users of lifts.
All passenger lifts currently in use in Malta need to be registered with the MCCAA, as required by Legal Notice 231 of 2007.
Apart from being registered, a lift is required to be adequately and regularly maintained according to the manufacturer’s and installer’s instructions.
Hence the public is advised to ensure that lifts they use are adequately maintained to ensure that the lift is kept safe during use.
A person, who should be identified for each lift’s responsibility, has to ensure that maintenance is carried out on the lift accordingly and within the stipulated timeframe.
Apart from maintenance, regular ‘preventive inspections’ by an authorised conformity assessment body (ACAB) have to be carried out on each passenger lift. This inspection is to be carried out to ensure that the lift installation is kept safe at all times. The assessment is selected by the person responsible for the lift – from a list of authorised bodies provided by the authority on its website.
In the case of lifts installed in a residential building, a preventive inspection needs to be carried out at least every year, whereas for a lift installed at a workplace, a preventive inspection needs to be carried out at least every six months.
The ACAB carrying out the preventive inspection will issue a report and send it to the administrator/responsible person, who is then required to send a copy of this report to the MCCAA within 28 days and keep a copy in his records.
The administrator/person responsible for the life needs to ensure that the necessary works indicated in the report are carried out within such timeframes and will then notify the authority in writing – that such repairs have been completed.
Moreover, those people responsible for the lift also have to ensure that all lifts undergo a thorough examination at least every 10 years.
This is to be held by an ACAB and differs from regular maintenance and preventive inspection exercises.
The aim of the thorough examination is to ensure that the lift continues to comply with the current standards applicable at the time.
Should the Market Surveillance Directorate within the TRD encounter a lift which does not comply with legal requirements, it may take enforcement action by law to ensure that the lift is brought to legal compliance.
For queries or further information, one can contact the TRD or look up information on the website through http://www.mccaa.org.mt/en/lifts. The Technical Regulations Division can be contacted on info@mccaa.org.mt or 2395 2000.