Rules and Regulations
Lift incidences have not only involved residents in the past but have caused dangers for workers sent to buildings for maintenance.
A 28-year-old Indian worker fell to his death from a lift he was repairing in the Shuwayheen area more than a year ago.
With the recent lift accidents raising concerns among residents, Gulf News talked to Sharjah Municipality about the safety measures and procedures taken to ensure the security of lifts.
According to rule number (81) of the rules and regulations for buildings in the Emirate of Sharjah, buildings in Sharjah have a yearly contract with maintenance companies who carry out regular maintenance inspections.
A spokesperson from Sharjah Municipality said that while inspection tours are carried out once a month for new buildings in Sharjah, they are carried out twice a month for old buildings.
The Municipality also said that complaints about lift problems should be issued by residents through their landlords or the building’s security personals. He also added that a 24 hour emergency hotline is also available inside the lifts in the case of an emergency.
“If maintenance is not carried out by the maintenance company after the complaint has been issued, residents can call the municipality on their hotline to issue another complaint,” added the spokesperson. The Sharjah Municipality’s hotline is 993.
In efforts to maintain the safety of buildings, the engineering department of the Sharjah Municipality also carries out periodic inspection rounds in all areas of Sharjah, said the municipality. Through these rounds, the department is able to inspect the lifts of buildings along with other aspects before determining which blocks are in need of maintenance. The municipality then speaks to the building owners requesting them to carry out the needed maintenance dictated by the technical repot that was issued by the department.
If the building owners do not respond to the municipality’s request, they are sent another request along with a warning letter that states that the service will be stopped.
The warning letter is also handed out to tenants in the building in order to push the owner to comply, said the municipality. After several notices, the municipality sends another warning to both the owner and the tenants informing them that their contracts will not be renewed by the real-estate registration department.
