Whereas your editorial’s objective of promoting safe lifts is commendable (September 18), it contains a number of factual inaccuracies regarding the role of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority (OHSA).

The editorial states: “It is not immediately apparent why registration (of lifts) has to be made with this body (MCCAA) and not – more logically – with the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, which is ultimately responsible for policing all aspects of lift safety.”

It is pertinent to point out that the purpose of the OHSA Act is to protect workers and the law is only applicable to workplaces. The OHSA has no power to intervene with regard to lifts in residential buildings, and any reference to any perceived OHSA role in this regard, that is with regard to residences, would have no legal basis were it to be implemented by the OHSA.

On the other hand, the OHSA already has its own database of lifts installed at places of work, but the register referred to in the editorial also includes lifts installed in other places, including residential buildings. The aim of this latter register is also to ensure product safety in terms of the Product Safety Act, which also considers issues related to placing on the market and CE marking.

The editorial includes statistics relating to claimed OHSA activities. Apart from the fact that the OHSA only publishes its annual report after the end of a calendar year, the figures mentioned are wrong – during 2011, OHSA officers vetted 4,146 lift certificates with respect to lifts installed at places of work, while during the first four months of this year, a total of 1,562 certificates were vetted.