Lift Safety

At VM Elevators, lift safety is more than just compliance, it’s the backbone of how we work. Whether we’re installing bespoke lift systems, modernising outdated infrastructure, or carrying out routine servicing, our focus is always on protecting the people who rely on our lifts every day.

With a 100% safety record, we’ve built a reputation for delivering safe, reliable lift systems across commercial, residential, and specialist environments. Every step we take is backed by independent validation from industry-leading accreditors, including:

• CHAS Elite – Advanced accreditation covering health and safety, quality management, and environmental controls
• SafeContractor – Confirming our commitment to safe working methods across varied and challenging sites
• ISO 45001 – International certification for occupational health and safety
• Constructionline Gold – Recognising excellence across compliance, sustainability, and workforce standards

Our Approach to Lift Safety

From risk management and engineer training to accessibility and customer guidance, our approach to lift safety is holistic, proactive, and constantly evolving.

Safety Built Into Every Stage

We design, install, and maintain lift systems with long-term safety in mind. All equipment is specified to meet or exceed current UK and EU regulations, and our engineering teams apply strict safety principles across every phase of the lift lifecycle.

Preventive Maintenance That Protects People

Prevention is always better than cure. That’s why we use risk-based maintenance strategies and tailored service schedules to keep lifts operating safely and efficiently — reducing the risk of faults and protecting end users from preventable harm.

Supporting Safer Lift Use

We help building managers and users understand how to use lifts safely and correctly. Where appropriate, we offer guidance on accessibility and lift etiquette, ensuring systems remain suitable for individuals with mobility challenges, young children, or bulky items such as prams and trolleys.

Lift Safety in Modernisation

Older lift systems may lack the safety features required by today’s standards. That’s why modernisation is critical to extending the life of your lift — safely.

At VM Elevators, we modernise lifts with a strong focus on compliance and user protection. Our services include:

• Upgrading door sensors, safety edges, and car controls
• Replacing outdated motors, brakes, and gear systems
• Installing emergency communication systems compliant with BS EN 81-28
• Improving accessibility with handrails, mirrors, and improved car lighting

Every modernisation project is delivered by trained engineers, with risk assessments carried out before, during, and after the works. Our aim is to reduce breakdown risk and enhance safety without the disruption of full replacement.

Lift Safety in Luxury Lift Installations

Our bespoke luxury lift installations combine architectural finesse with complete regulatory compliance.

We design and install:

• Glass and panoramic lifts with full EN 81 compliance
• Custom cabin finishes and high-spec controls with integrated safety features
• Enhanced accessibility options such as voice announcements and tactile buttons

All systems are tested thoroughly and commissioned in line with UK lift safety standards, with documentation and user guidance provided as standard.

Lift Safety in Maintenance & Servicing

Our maintenance contracts are built around one purpose: keeping your lift running safely, 365 days a year. We do this by:

• Conducting regular inspections aligned with LOLER requirements
• Carrying out preventive component replacements
• Maintaining safety-critical systems such as emergency lighting, brakes, buffers, and alarms
• Ensuring compliance with fire and accessibility standards where applicable

Every VM Elevators engineer is trained in line with ISO 45001 protocols, and all maintenance visits are logged and reviewed for quality assurance.

A Record You Can Rely On

Our 100% safety record is a result of ongoing investment in training, process, and innovation. We don’t believe in cutting corners — only in raising the bar. When you work with VM Elevators, you’re choosing a partner committed to building safer, smarter lift environments for everyone.

Ready to Elevate Your Lift Safety?

Whether you’re looking to modernise an old system, maintain safety compliance, or design a lift from scratch, VM Elevators has the experience and credentials to help.

Contact our team to book a consultation or request a no-obligation quote.

View our accreditations

Sustainability in The Lift Sector

At VM Elevators, sustainability isn’t just a side consideration, it’s built into every decision we make. From how we power our offices to the way we responsibly remove and recycle lift components, we’re committed to reducing our environmental impact and setting a new standard for ethical practices in the lift industry.

Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
We monitor and review our company’s energy usage through annual carbon audits. This data helps shape our improvement strategy, identifying where we stand, where we can improve, and how our everyday decisions affect the environment.

Recent improvements include:

• Energy upgrades in our East London HQ, including heating system maintenance, window insulation and LED lighting
• Introducing device power-saving modes and strict switch-off policies for equipment and lighting
• Remote working initiatives to reduce commuter emissions
• Running a low-emission vehicle fleet and encouraging efficient driver habits (e.g., no idling)

Responsible Waste Management
Whether we’re modernising a lift, carrying out a full decommission, or completing a new installation, we make sure no materials go to waste. Our responsible removal processes include:

• Sorting materials on-site and separating components for correct processing
• Refurbishing reusable items like door gear or machine parts
• Partnering with licensed waste handlers to legally and traceably dispose of all non-reusable items
• Providing transparent documentation for clients and stakeholders

Measurable, Ongoing Impact
We benchmark our energy use and emissions, then track savings and improvements against that baseline. This helps us refine our efforts each year and ensures we remain accountable.

Working Toward a Greener Future
From minor lift repairs to major commercial installations, our goal is the same: to deliver sustainable solutions without compromising performance or compliance. Whether it’s choosing recyclable finishes, using more efficient lift systems, or refining our back-office energy consumption, we’re building an industry where progress doesn’t come at the environment’s expense.

Sustainability Hub

A Lift Company with Environmental Purpose

At VM Elevators, sustainability isn’t a side project, it’s a responsibility that informs every area of our work. From how we operate our fleet to how we dispose of lift materials; we are constantly working to reduce our carbon footprint and improve the environmental impact of our services.

How We Lower Our Carbon Footprint
We evaluate our company’s carbon consumption annually, led by a dedicated emissions-conscious officer. This yearly benchmark enables us to measure progress and identify new opportunities for improvement.

Our carbon-conscious practices include:

• Office upgrades: From better shading and insulation to servicing our central heating and switching to LED lighting.
• Energy-saving habits: All office equipment is set to energy saver mode. Staff switch off and unplug at the socket each evening — preventing passive energy consumption from standby equipment.
• Hybrid working model: When suitable, our team works remotely, significantly reducing commuter emissions.
• Eco-friendly fleet: Our vehicles are selected based on low CO₂ output and driven responsibly, no idling, no speeding, and always switching off when stationary.

Responsible Waste & Materials Disposal
A large part of our sustainability strategy lies in how we handle lift removals, upgrades, and installations.

We’ve introduced environmentally responsible processes for dismantling and disposing of lifts and their components:

• On-site disassembly: Reduces transportation impact and allows components to be handled more efficiently.
• Component reuse: Refurbishable parts are recovered and reused to limit the need for manufacturing.
• Licensed waste carriers: We work only with certified partners who follow best practices in lift waste disposal.
• Full transparency: We log what’s removed, how it’s processed, and where it ends up.
• Category separation: Metals, cabling, oils and electronics are separated for responsible disposal or recycling.

This applies across all lift projects, including commercial, residential, public sector and heritage sites.

Decommissioning & Waste Handling

Responsible Removal for a Sustainable Future

At VM Elevators, we don’t just decommission lifts, we decommission responsibly. Every removal project presents an opportunity to reduce environmental impact, recover valuable materials, and prevent unnecessary waste from reaching landfill.

We’ve developed a clear, accountable process that prioritises ethical handling from start to finish.

What Happens During Lift Decommissioning?
When a lift reaches the end of its life, it’s not simply dismantled and skipped. Our process involves:

• Site-specific risk assessments: To plan for safe, non-disruptive removal.
• Careful disassembly: Avoiding unnecessary damage so components can be reused or recycled.
• Material separation: Steel, copper, oils, electronics and cabling are sorted on site.

Where Does the Waste Go?
Once materials are separated, they are either:

• Reused: Door gear, shaft components and motors in good condition may be refurbished and reused.
• Recycled: Metals and cabling are sent to certified recycling partners.
• Responsibly disposed: Any waste that cannot be reused or recycled is handled by licensed waste carriers with traceable documentation.

We retain all waste transfer documentation and clear records, so we can track our impact year-on-year.

Minimising Environmental Impact
Our team uses low-emission vehicles for all removals and plans routes efficiently to reduce unnecessary journeys. Any oils or lubricants removed from decommissioned lifts are collected safely and recycled or disposed of in line with Environment Agency guidelines.

By combining operational care with strict compliance, we ensure every decommissioning job leaves behind as little environmental impact as possible.

Staying Accountable
We don’t just set goals; we monitor progress. By comparing actual performance against our benchmark reports, we’re able to track the savings we’ve achieved, and recalibrate if needed.

Every small change contributes to a bigger picture: cleaner buildings, reduced emissions, and a better legacy for the next generation.

In addition to our Sustainability efforts, we also focus on safety and inclusivity within the lift sector.

Championing Diversity in the Lift Industry

At VM Elevators, inclusivity is more than a policy, it’s a fundamental part of who we are. Since our founding in 2008 in East London, we’ve grown into a national business rooted in honesty, respect, and responsibility. As a premium independent lift and escalator service provider, we believe that delivering exceptional service starts with empowering the people behind it. Because we don’t just elevate buildings or businesses,
we elevate our people.

Our Approach to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
We are proud to promote and champion equality, diversity, and inclusion across every level of our business, from our engineers and office staff to our supply chain and partnerships. We believe everyone has the right to feel respected, represented, and safe in their place of work.

Our Equality & Diversity Policy is built around a clear commitment -to offer equality of opportunity and access for all, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation.

An Inclusive Culture, Built on Respect

The lift and escalator industry has historically lacked diversity, but times are changing, and we want to lead on that change. VM Elevators is actively working to make our industry more dynamic, more representative, and more welcoming to people from all walks of life. That includes:

• A workforce built on merit and mutual respect
  We employ on talent, attitude, and potential. Our workforce includes working parents, young apprentices, experienced engineers, and individuals from many different communities and cultures.
• A healthy work/life balance
  The majority of our team are working parents, and we take this into account when planning workloads and site schedules. We believe flexibility fosters better mental health and more productive teams.
• A safe space to be yourself
  We want all employees to feel confident and supported in the workplace. Everyone should feel safe to be who they are, without fear of judgment or exclusion.

Accountability Across Our Supply Chain

We extend our inclusivity values to the partners, contractors, and suppliers we work with. All third-party organisations representing or working with VM Elevators are expected to:

• Operate in a non-discriminatory manner
• Share our commitment to the six key strands of equality legislation: age, disability, gender, race, faith, and sexual orientation
• Keep up to date with relevant legislation and actively promote equality in their practices

We reflect these values in our procurement processes and expect our partners to move beyond minimum legal compliance to actively promote diversity.

How We Put Inclusivity into Practice

At VM Elevators, our commitment to inclusion isn’t just about intention, it’s about action. We are continuously working to embed Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) principles into the way we hire, train, and support our people.

1. Advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
We are evolving the lift industry by driving DEI through leadership accountability and company-wide engagement.

• Leadership and training – We run leadership development initiatives and DEI training sessions to equip our teams with the tools to foster a fair and inclusive workplace.
• LGBTIQ+ inclusion – We support the UN Standards of Conduct to promote workplace inclusion for LGBTIQ+ employees and are building safe spaces for all.
• Employee support networks – Our people have access to support channels and resource groups to champion inclusivity from within.
• Bias-free hiring and progression – We continually refine our recruitment, promotion, and reward practices to eliminate bias and create equal opportunities.
• Reflecting the communities we serve – We proactively hire across a broad spectrum of backgrounds, industries, and lived experiences to better reflect our customers and the communities around us.

2. Investing in People’s Growth and Well-being
We believe that a great service business is built on people who feel supported and valued. That’s why we invest in continuous development and wellbeing initiatives across our workforce.

• Career development and learning – From upskilling programs and mentoring to leadership pathways and digital learning platforms, we create growth opportunities at every level.
• Well-being champions – We’re establishing well-being advocates across the business to promote mental health awareness, organise support activities, and encourage self-care in the workplace.
• Flexible working culture – Whether it’s job sharing, hybrid working, compressed hours or part-time roles, we aim to offer flexibility to suit people’s individual circumstances. Supporting our team to manage work-life balance is not just good ethics, it’s good business.

3. Strengthening Safety and Shared Responsibility
A truly inclusive environment starts with safety, physically and psychologically. VM Elevators is known for delivering premium lift and escalator services safely and responsibly, and this ethos extends to our internal operations too.

• Proactive safety culture – We conduct regular risk assessments, safety training, toolbox talks and campaign engagement to ensure that everyone, from site engineers, subcontractors and office staff is part of a culture of safety.
• Collaborating with partners – We work closely with suppliers and subcontractors to uphold strict safety protocols, creating safer work environments for all.
• Innovation in safety – We invest in digital tools, real-time monitoring and smart reporting systems to improve safety outcomes and reduce risks in the field.

Industry Impact: Elevating the Standard
As a lift and escalator company operating across London, Essex, and nationwide, we understand our influence within the wider built environment. We are committed to using that platform to improve representation and challenge the status quo across the sector.

Whether it’s supporting initiatives that get young people into STEM careers or backing more inclusive hiring practices in engineering, through lift apprenticeship schemes and beyond, VM Elevators is helping build an industry that reflects the diversity of the communities it serves.