SINGAPORE – Residents at Block 317 Ang Mo Kio Street 31 can now use all of their lifts again after one had been suspended for weeks after malfunctioning.
An Indonesian maid who was riding Lift A on March 7 probably had the shock of her life when the elevator suddenly shot up 17 floors where it stalled, and she was trapped for more than an hour before help came.
On March 8, the authorities swiftly suspended the lift and ordered a probe into the incident, which was not the first of such faulty lift incidents this year.
After 20 days, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) finally gave the go-ahead for Lift A at Ang Mo Kio Block 317 to resume operation on March 28.
Investigators found that the brakes of Lift A were “not functioning well”.
The authorised examiner appointed by Ang Mo Kio Town Council to inspect the lift concluded that the brakes “could not hold the lift car in a stationary position”.
The examiner assessed that this could be due to “jammed mechanical parts of the brakes, oily brake drum and worn-off brake liners”.
Lianhe Wanbao, The New Paper
Sounds scary? Don’t worry, BCA said the town council’s lift contractor has completed the “required rectification works”.
The examiner had conducted another round of inspection and certified it was safe to use.
On top of that, BCA also inspected the lift and was “satisfied with the (examiner’s) findings and (therefore) allowed the lift to resume operation”.
As an additional measure, the examiner also recommended that Ang Mo Kio Town Council engages an authorised examiner to conduct brake tests on the incident lift every quarter for the rest of this year. This is to verify that the brakes are functioning normally, and would be “over and above” the brake test that the lift contractor is required to carry out during the monthly maintenance of the lift.
BCA said: “Lift owners, including the Town Councils, are required by law to engage registered lift contractors to maintain their lifts, and lift contractors should do so with due diligence.”
After the spate of lift mishaps, BCA has ramped up its efforts on checks of lifts around Singapore, reported The Straits Times.
maryanns@sph.com.sg
