Lift Case Studies

Case Study 1: A local borough council bought and refurbished a cluster of 10 semi-derelict properties in the borough in a pioneering project. The work was carried out by their contractors, as part of their plans to create social housing for disabled adults. The properties were previously privately owned by able-bodied people and consisted of two-up two-down properties. For some of the new residents who were wheelchair users, access to front doors and upstairs would clearly prove a problem.

After the surveys were completed, the council decided that not all of the houses required straight chair lifts as first thought. The residents actually needed varying styles of lifts because of their varying states of disability.

The council wanted five of the twenty residents to have Perching Chair Lifts.  This was because their disability was such that they could neither straighten nor bend their knees sufficiently to use a standard Chair lift. Three residents needed an Outdoor Platform lift because their back gardens (on a slope) could only be accessed via steps.

Case Study 2: A medical health centre in Newcastle-upon-Tyne received a government grant to upgrade the building’s access for disabled and wheelchair users. They could only enter the health centre via a temporary ramp which was stolen overnight. Wheelchair users and those with mobility difficulties were forced to travel several miles across town to another medical centre that had disabled facilities. 

The front of the building had two steps leading up to the main doors and, because no wheelchair users could get up to and through the front doors, the medical centre had failed to comply with the Disability and Discrimination Act 1994 and was acting illegally. 

A firm of respected lift engineers were contact to carry out the initial survey, followed by quotations for the recommended step lift. As a Step lift is a platform lift that can be placed next to a set of steps or by the steps so that the platform raises the chair upwards and over the steps. 

Former disabled patients forced to go elsewhere for medical treatment returned. Disabled patients and those with mobility issues were once again able to access the medical centre easily. The centre’s management was delighted that they were in full compliance with the Disability & Discrimination Act (D.D.A.) 1994.

Case Study 3: A former four-storey government building in South East London was decommissioned and its change of use registered as a Job Centre. The building was undergoing refurbishment and that two Passenger lifts needed to be looked at.

The report concluded that both lifts were ideal for modernising and bringing up to date, in line with the European Standard EN81-70. This is a guideline for existing lifts undergoing refurbishment and modernisation. The installation work was undertaken and completed to the Department of Work & Pensions satisfaction.