A Tragic Reminder: Lift Safety Is Everyone’s Responsibility
A recent and heartbreaking incident reminds us of the unseen dangers in the everyday conveniences we take for granted.
An elderly man tragically lost his life after falling 35 feet down a lift shaft. A horrifying event that no one should ever have to witness or experience.
The most disturbing question remains unanswered: How did the door open when there was no lift cabin present? This is not just a story of a technical failure. It is a story of neglect, missed inspections, and lack of accountability, a tragedy that could have been prevented.
Every such incident must serve as a wake-up call for all those involved, eg. users, building owners, facility managers, maintenance contractors, and authorities. Because in lift safety, one missed check or one faulty assumption can mean the difference between life and death.
The Human Side of a Technical Failure
Every elevator ride begins with trust.
We trust that the door won’t open into an empty shaft.
We trust that the cables are strong, the brakes are working, and the system is well maintained.
But behind that trust must stand a system of checks, balances, and elevator audit and inspection procedures.
When that trust breaks, it’s rarely due to a single fault. Investigations into elevator accidents often reveal multiple points of failure, mechanical issues, skipped inspections, poorly maintained components, and sometimes even falsified service records.
In almost all such cases an elevator audit and inspection could have identified the issue before disaster struck.
The Case for Regular Third-Party Lift Safety Audits
Most existing buildings depend on their AMC providers for regular lift servicing and maintenance.
While many service providers are diligent, experience shows that routine maintenance alone is not enough.
A third-party elevator audit and inspection brings an independent, expert perspective to evaluate whether the lift is genuinely safe, compliant, and properly maintained. Unlike AMC technicians who may be constrained by cost, time, or contractual limits, third-party auditors assess each system objectively, without bias or conflict of interest.
These independent elevator audit and inspection programs provide peace of mind to residents and management by ensuring that maintenance is actually being carried out as it should with full transparency and accountability.
Key Benefits of Independent Lift Audits
What Every Building Should Do to Stay Safe
The Role of Authorities and Housing Societies
While users and service providers share responsibility, authorities and housing societies play a central role in creating a safe lift environment.
Regulatory bodies must ensure that every lift installation is certified not only at commissioning but also during its operational life. This means enforcing regular elevator inspections, renewal certifications, and surprise safety audits.
For housing societies and property managers, safety cannot be treated as a one-time formality. Making third-party audits a part of annual or semi-annual maintenance budgets is the only sustainable way to maintain accountability.
Building a Culture of Preventive Safety
Lift safety is not a one-time act, it’s an ongoing culture. When people assume that “the maintenance company will handle it,” important checks get missed. When committees assume “nothing has gone wrong so far,” potential risks go unnoticed.
Prevention is not only better than cure, but in lift safety, prevention is the only cure.
Every life lost to an elevator malfunction is one too many, especially when regular independent audits could have prevented it. A culture of preventive safety begins when every stakeholder from residents to regulators, commits to routine verification and transparency.
A Note for New Developments
While this message primarily concerns existing buildings, new projects also have a responsibility to get things right from the start. During the design and installation stage, developers can consult industry experts to ensure proper lift selection, design compliance, and commissioning audits.
But once the building is operational, the third-party safety audit becomes the most vital safeguard against negligence.
Final Thought
Every time we step into an elevator, we place trust in an invisible network of people, processes, and technology. That trust should never be taken for granted.
Let’s make elevator audit and inspection a mandatory routine, not an afterthought. Because accountability saves lives, and awareness prevents accidents.
Stay alert.
Stay responsible.
And remember, lift safety begins with an audit.
