KUALA LUMPUR: The lackadaisical attitude of the Joint Management Body (JMB) and the Management Corporation (MC) in appointing unqualified contractors for elevator maintenance is seen as one of the reasons for the never-ending lift breakdowns in some apartment and condominium buildings.
President of the Malaysian Elevators and Escalators Association (Malea) Franky Ho Kai Satt said it happened because the building management wanted to save costs without thinking about the residents’ safety.
“The building management should have appointed only certified contractors that are listed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).
“There are building owners that appoint incompetent elevator maintenance firms or unregistered contractors just to save costs and also some maintenance is done just to meet the minimum requirements,” he told Bernama.
He said the maintenance and inspection on the safety level of elevators should be done periodically according to the standards set by the authorities without any compromise to ensure all elevators are in perfect condition at all times.
Ho added, however, that the reluctance by residents to pay the maintenance fee is also a factor that contributes to poor maintenance of lifts.
“Since there are no funds available, hence elevator maintenance could not be done,” he said.
Malea, in collaboration with DOSH, also organises technical training related to elevator maintenance.
Meanwhile, DOSH director-general Omar Mat Piah said elevator owners must ensure that the machine is in safe condition and can be used at any time in accordance with Section 17 (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.
Failing which, he said, it would expose the elevator users to the risk of accidents.
Therefore, he said, the JMB and MC should ensure the elevators at their buildings are safe.
“All elevator maintenance work must be carried out by a person who is qualified, trained and registered with DOSH. It has to be a competent person from a competent firm,” he added.
Omar said a thorough inspection of the physical condition and safety level of an elevator should be carried out at least once a month.
“Elevators have to be maintained by technicians from a competent firm at least once a month. A repeat examination will be conducted together with a DOSH officer every 15 months to renew the certificate of fitness (CF) of the elevator.
“The approval for the design has to be obtained first from DOSH before the elevator is installed to ensure the machine is in safe condition. After that, the elevator has to undergo load testing and safety function test by the qualified technicians and witnessed by DOSH officers before the CF is issued for a period of 15 months,” he added.
Omar said actions such as issuing of repair notices, or court action could be taken if DOSH found the elevator unsafe to use.
He said care and maintenance play an important role in determining the lifespan of an elevator.
For the record, a total of 70,005 elevators have been registered at DOSH since January to August this year nationwide and out of that number, 6,783 elevators are without CF, inactive or faulty.
From 2019 until August this year, 11 untoward incidents involving lifts were reported by DOSH, with six of the cases in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor (two) and one case each in Sarawak, Penang and Melaka.
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