Lift engineers, or lift technicians, install, refurbish, service and repair electrical traction and hydraulic lift equipment.
Lift companies employ their own in-house lift engineers who install all their lifts and respond to maintenance and break-down calls. They can also be employed by specialist lift maintenance companies who specify in lift maintenance as well as local authorities, hospitals, and educational institutions.
Engineers are capable of dealing with different lifts, including:
- Passenger, goods, and service lifts that you find in offices, hotels, railway stations and airports.
- Loading platforms and scissor lifts that are used to load/unload and move material, machinery and products around a factory floor or storage depot.
- Mobility stairlifts that are installed in people’s homes or as access points to public buildings.
- Vehicle mounted lifts used in personal and commercial transport.
- Ceiling track hoists used by carers to assist them in patient mobility. Used in households, nursing homes and hospitals.
- Dumbwaiters in hotels and restaurants
- Escalators in shopping centres, terminals and offices.
Some of the most typical jobs that lift engineers carry out are:
- Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM): carrying out scheduled routine inspections on electrical equipment, gears, drive systems, hydraulics, motors, overload detection devices, brakes, doors and locks; diagnose defects, carry out minor repairs; make recommendations and arrange for more serious repairs.
- Emergency call out: respond to out-of-hour breakdown calls; isolate problems and carry out repairs until a full service and repair can be made.
- Installation: after purchase engineers will commission and fit out lifts, lifting gear, lift wells and ancillary equipment; giving demonstrations on how to operate equipment.
- Surveys: ensuring through regular inspections that equipment complies with regulations and legislations. Make recommendations for modifications or new installations.
- Refurbishments: upgrades or replacements can be carried out by engineers on lift interiors, such as panelling, flooring, displays, communication systems, buttons, lighting and finishes.
If you have a lift installed in your home or business, make sure you use a lift company engineer to regularly maintain it. This prevents unnecessary breakdowns and ensures your lift runs smoothly and efficiently.