Under the statutes in effect, the possessor of the lift shall attend to
- preparation of a maintenance programme for the lift
- maintenance of the lift according to the programme
- sufficiently rapid repair of defects and shortcomings
- performance of relevant inspections
- availability to maintenance personnel and inspectors of lift documentation, and
- safe rescue from the lift.
An agreement is typically concluded with a lift maintenance company for lift maintenance. The maintenance company prepares the maintenance programme. Lift maintenance typically calls for 6–8 scheduled maintenance calls each year in addition to the unscheduled calls to service faults.
Lift possessors attend to the upkeep of lifts. Lift possessors are typically represented in housing companies by the Chairman of the company’s Board of Directors and the building manager.
The possessor of the lift shall contract its maintenance to a maintenance company. The operation of a maintenance company requires specific competence as well as notification to Tukes as provided for in the Electrical Safety Act. In its supervision of such companies, Tukes is informed by its statutory obligations but also obtains a substantial amount of information relating to technology, problems in maintenance, condition of lifts and inspection activities. A significant proportion of the companies in the field subject to supervision have been entered in the Tukes register of contractors.
Periodic inspections of lifts are carried out by the accredited testing bodies referred to in the Electrical Safety Act. Such bodies are designated by Tukes, which has designated three testing bodies to perform periodic inspections of lifts. All three bodies also have notified body status and thus are also accredited by FINAS. The accredited testing bodies are supervised by Tukes.
Tukes administers lift safety examinations twice annually and takes part in the development of stat-utes in effect.
Modifications
The different lift components are subject to wear and tear at different rates during operation. Cases in which an antiquated component can no longer be repaired or replaced with another similar one lead to modifications. This applies particularly to moving and wearing components that have already been in use for 20–40 years.
Most lifts used for more than twenty years are reaching the end of their technical useful life. Electrical devices and cables have deteriorated due to time as well as operation; their insulation is liable to crumble if touched during repairs. The lift stock in Finland faces a stage of substantial modernisation that will last the next 10–20 years. With regard to modifications carried out in connection with mod-ernisation, conformity to current requirements is proscribed in the statutes.