Lift accidents-My take

This refers to the post by Mr. Suri and polls on electric lifts following a recent accident. It was mentioned in the post that we should have a Mandatory lift Act and a body supervising all the lifts in India. As an electrical engineer having some knowledge of this type of equipment, I can say that there is already a comprehensive Indian (BIS) Standard 14665 in 4 parts (2000 and amendments) which supersedes several older standards and includes a LEGALLY BINDING part on the maintenance of this equipment. The Chief Electrical Inspector (CEIG) of the concerned State is responsible for enforcement and inspection along with all the other electrical installations of a facility. As usual, the problem is not about Acts/Rules. There are enough rules and BIS constantly updates them in line with international (IEC) codes. As stated in the post, the problems are corruption and lack of oversight. Even if all requirements are met, there could be some graft involved. But in case of violations, the amount may increase substantially for ignoring them. No amount of laws and Acts will ever serve the purpose of ensuring safety under these conditions. In addition to prosecuting the owner of the premises, there must be strict penalties to the maintenance agency and inspecting official who inspected and last certified the lift, especially if the failures involve safety provisions being overlooked. There must be proper records of inspection and photographic proof of each inspection to pinpoint the responsibility (because it is possible that in spite of the best intentions components can and do fail between inspections) even when everything is done by the book. This is where the additional fee charged by the manufacturers would help because they know their equipment best. Proper records of work done must be maintained and must be available with all the parties. In short, there is no substitute for professionalism at work.