Many businesses are tentatively re-opening their doors to resume a ‘near-normal’ service for their customers. They are taking all the necessary steps to ensure maximum safety for workers and customers alike – without discriminating against those with disabilities or mobility issues.
As coronavirus spreads through droplets in the air, we have all been advised to stay a safe 2 meters apart (or at least 1 metre). This means that the commercial lifts within your building now require more attention than ever.
Luckily for you, we are here to share our top tips on how to make your platform lifts and elevators safer for passengers in response to the COVID-19 outbreak. So, let’s get started.
- Assess the performance of equipment
In an attempt to slow the spread of coronavirus, many businesses had no option but to close, and this meant switching off platform lifts, wheelchair lifts, platform stairlifts, step lifts and goods lifts too.
Are you the same?
You may notice that your lift is not as reliable as it used to be. If this is the case, the best thing to do is contact us at Level Access Lifts and arrange a convenient time for one of our service engineers to come out and inspect it.
Even if your business has remained open during the pandemic, scheduling routine maintenance can help to minimise the risk of lifts being ‘out of service’ when they are needed most. And you can relax knowing that our staff are fully equipped with the appropriate PPE (e.g. face coverings, gloves, etc.) and abide by social distancing rules.
- Limit the usage of lifts
Using the stairs is not only a great form of exercise but removes the need for customers and staff to come into proximity with each other. Although it’s much safer to use one way stairs or escalators, it’s not always practical. Therefore, if you have platform lifts, it’s worth considering limiting their use to those who need it most, such as those with reduced mobility and large, cumbersome deliveries.
- Remove the guesswork
Placing floor stickers is a great way to maintain social distancing in larger vertical platform lifts, like the heavy-duty ones we supply. It helps employees and customers to know where to queue.
Depending on the lift, you should clearly label how many people are permitted to travel at one time. This should be substantially less than usual to prevent close contact. For lifts that are suitable for more than one person, consider using floor signage to specify how they travel (i.e. facing away from others or standing side by side at a safe distance).
- Schedule regular cleaning
It’s always good practice to keep surfaces and platforms clean. However, amid COVID-19, we highly recommend that you increase your cleaning efforts to make sure that things like buttons, handrails, walls, doors and other hard surfaces – that are touched by many people throughout the day – are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected regularly.
Of course, you could advise people to wear gloves or use their elbows to press buttons to help reduce the spread of the virus. But this is an additional measure and doesn’t replace the need for deep cleaning platform lifts.
If you have any questions about how to make your lifts COVID-secure or are interested in making your building more wheelchair-friendly, with the addition of platform lifts or wheelchair lifts, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We are always on hand to help and will be more than happy to assist. Simply call 023 8081 4924 or drop us an email at info@levellifts.co.uk, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
