No maintenance can result in financial penalties

The new Operating Safety Ordinance (BetrSichV), which has been in force since 1 June 2015, poses high demands on lift operators. This is not something one should not take lightly, because in the worst case six-figure fines can be imposed, advices the office Hundt Consult.

Lift operator obligations for example include carrying out checks and evaluations of their own, instituting measures that guarantee safe operation and regular checks by authorised inspection bodies (ZÜS). These are intended to guarantee safe use of the lift.

If inspection periods are exceeded, inspection certificates are not submitted or lifts are not properly maintained, there can be grave consequences, warns the office Hundt Consult.

Obligation to remove defects

This is evident from a current case in Hessen. An expert identified dangerous defects during an inspection of a lift. The Darmstadt Regional Authority therefore cited § 5 (2) BetrSichV, tells Hundt Consult.

This states that no operator may provide a lift if it has defects impairing safe use. According to the new BetrSichV, the lift operator must eliminate these defects, then have the lift inspected by an authorised inspection body. Afterwards the operator must submit a corresponding certificate of the authorised inspection body to the responsible authority. In the case mentioned, the regional authority threatened financial consequences in the event that the operator failed to meet these obligations, tell the lift experts.

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