EM – Elevators are a safety-related product and should be inspected and maintained periodically. Experts from Vietnam Institution of Lift Engineering Application have suggested a number of things to do for homeowners to self-monitor the work of maintenance technicians to protect their families.
1. Ensure security – safety
The fact that a stranger enters the house and runs up and down in the private space between floors is a very delicate and complicated thing for homeowners. They can go out on any floor they want, so it is necessary to set requirements to ensure the safety of family members, to ensure that it is not stolen if the identity or ethics of the technician is not guaranteed. Therefore, the minimum homeowners need to do is:
– Hire elevator service from a reputable and capable company.
– Before the maintenance must have an appointment, the staff must present a stamped card, with a valid QR code and not blurred, erased, etc., together with the assignment slip with the seal of the service provider, protective clothing. If in doubt, the homeowner must notify the service provider to confirm or request identification to see if it matches other documents.
In the coming time, when the State requires mandatory practice certificates (for occupations related to safety, health, …), technical staff are required to present certificates or can scan QR codes to check and compare personal identity, maintenance and repair work on the data management system.
2. Request to try the elevator rescue feature
Automatic Rescue Device (ARD) is a must-have safety function, in case of sudden power failure, the elevator brings the cabin to the nearest floor for the passenger to get out. But in fact, this device may be damaged, the battery is out of power … but the owner does not know. To check if this function is working properly, when taking over for maintenance, you must ask the staff to suddenly cut off the power to perform a hypothetical test, to see if the cabin is brought to the nearest floor or not.
Staff is maintaining the elevator
The modern elevators also integrate the SRS (Self Rescue System) in case the power fails, the ARD fails, passenger can press the SRS button to free himself without outside help. To test this system, you assume a power failure and request to disconnect the power of the automatic rescue unit (ARD) to press the SRS button in the cabin to see if the cabin automatically returns to the nearest floor normally.
3. Request to try the emergency call system Emcall
Standard elevators have an internal communication system (Intercom) to ensure 3-point communication: People in the cabin, people outside the supervising room and machine room. This system is only effective for public elevators that are always pedestrian or have security guards on duty. But for homelift, this system is less effective when people at home alone using the elevator are locked, even if they call, no one will listen.
Emcall button in the elevator cabin
To overcome this situation, some elevator companies have recently provided the Emcall emergency call system. This system can perform the following functions:
– Automatically send errors to the service center by message.
– When passenger is locked alone, just press the Emcall button in the cabin, the call will be automatically transferred to 5 phone numbers that you choose to set up (for example: 3 family numbers, 2 numbers of service providers, or 114). As soon as you press the button, the Emcall system will automatically dial the first number, if no one picks up after 10 seconds (or according to the set time), it will automatically switch to the second number and repeat until someone picks up and rescue.
4. Emergency lighting, ventilation fan
In case of power failure, the ventilation fan and emergency lights in the cabin must operate for at least 30 minutes to ensure light and air circulation. Therefore, you ask the staff after the maintenance is completed to let you test this function by standing in the cabin and cutting off the total power to see the status of the system.
5. Minutes of maintenance and inspection term
After finishing the maintenance session, you ask the staff to give you the minutes to check, if you are satisfied with all the work items, then proceed to sign for confirmation. You have the right to question the contents of the work and the status of the minutes. If you have doubts or are unclear about any work item in the installation, maintenance and repair of elevators, you can ask for help from the Elevator Association Service and Support Center (Tel: 02473099868) or Hotline of Elevator Magazine (0989761499) to report. At the same time, do not forget to inspect the elevator periodically according to regulations.
