Lift Entrapment. VM Elevators’ Emergency Callout Procedure 

Being trapped in a lift can be an unsettling experience, but staying calm is key to managing the situation effectively. With VM Elevators’ comprehensive maintenance contracts, help is always nearby, ensuring trapped passengers are reached within the hour. Below, we explore practical ways to stay calm if you find yourself stuck in a lift, the legal requirement for lift maintenance contracts, and how VM Elevators’ reliable maintenance services provide peace of mind.

Why Lifts Get Stuck

Lifts can occasionally stop due to power fluctuations, mechanical issues, or sensor malfunctions. Misuse, such as holding doors open too long, exceeding weight limits, or tampering with controls, can also cause faults or shutdowns. While modern lifts are equipped with safety features like emergency brakes and alarms, unexpected stoppages can still occur. This is why having a trusted maintenance provider, to check the components in your lift system – like VM Elevators, is essential.

Your Legal Responsibility: Maintenance Contracts and Emergency Systems

Under UK lift safety legislation, including BS EN 81-28, lift owners and building managers are legally required to maintain passenger lifts through comprehensive maintenance contracts. These contracts ensure regular inspections, servicing, and prompt emergency responses to prevent entrapments and ensure compliance. Additionally, every lift must be fitted with a compliant auto-dialler, a two-way emergency communication system, enabling trapped passengers to contact a 24/7 response centre instantly. If your lift lacks a compliant auto-dialler or maintenance plan, VM Elevators can provide inspections and upgrades through our maintenance, repair, or modernisation packages, ensuring both legal compliance and passenger safety.

Tenants and Lift Users: Shared Responsibility

While building owners are responsible for lift safety and compliance, tenants and users also play a vital role. Misuse is a leading cause of avoidable breakdowns and entrapments. We encourage all users to:

• • Avoid holding or forcing doors open

• • Avoid dropping items into the lift tracks

• • Never exceed the lift’s maximum weight capacity

• • Never jump or play inside the lift

• • Never mistreat the lift cabin interior, in particular the control panels, which indicate through buttons, the lift’s operational movement – do not continually press the floor level buttons.

• • Respect all posted safety notices

Educating residents and employees on proper lift use helps prevent incidents and keeps systems reliable for everyone.

How to Stay Calm During a Lift Entrapment

If you do become trapped in a lift, staying calm is crucial. Here are some steps to help manage the situation:

1. 1. Use the Alarm Button or Emergency Phone: All compliant lifts should have an emergency communication system. If your building is maintained by VM Elevators, please press the emergency button, which is connected to our customer care team. Our team of engineers will then be notified instantly, and a trained technician will be dispatched immediately. A lift entrapment is treated as an emergency call. We always aim to arrive at the site within an hour, meeting the lift industry standard.

2. 2. Breathe Deeply: Use a technique like 4-7-8 breathing to reduce anxiety.

3. 3. Distract Yourself: Count ceiling panels, recall a calm memory, or hum a song to keep your focus away from anxiety. All VM Elevators’ lifts are fitted with a QR/ NFC sticker, which, when scanned, provides the user with interesting facts about lifts.

4. 4. Stay Comfortable: Loosen clothing and sit down if needed. Never attempt to exit or force the doors open.

5. 5. Reassure Others or Yourself: If others are with you, speak calmly. If you’re alone, remind yourself that support is on the way. If your lift is maintained by VM Elevators, the auto-dialler will be connected to our 24 7 customer care number, so remember an operator is at the other end of the line to talk to you if and when required. All of our team members are trained in emergency situations and are capable of keeping you feeling reassured until one of our qualified engineers arrives on the scene.

VM Elevators Emergency Callouts: Fast, Reliable, 24/7

Our emergency callout services are available 24/7, 365 days a year, and form a core part of every VM Elevators maintenance contract.

• • Guaranteed 1-Hour Response Time: We aim to reach all trapped passengers within 60 minutes of being notified. This is the lift industry standard.

• • Emergency Support Line Always Open: Call 0800 448 8615 at any time. Our UK-based response team is always on standby, ready to offer reassurance and dispatch an engineer without delay.

• • Experienced Rescue Engineers: All our engineers are trained and certified to carry out emergency lift rescues safely and efficiently.

Preventing Entrapments with Proactive Maintenance

Prevention is just as important as response. VM Elevators’ proactive maintenance contracts are designed to keep lift systems operating safely and reliably. Our service includes:

• • Regular inspections and servicing

• • IoT and sensor-driven diagnostics

• • A detailed report will include a list of full recommendations after each service visit.

• • Compliance checks on emergency systems

This approach allows us to identify and address issues before they escalate into serious faults or safety risks.

Maintenance Tailored to Your Property

We provide customised contracts for:

• • Residential blocks

• • Commercial offices

• • Hospitals and healthcare settings

• • Hospitality and luxury developments

Our service covers:

• • Modern emergency communication system upgrades

• • Sustainability improvements (LED lighting, regenerative drives)

• • BS EN 81-80 compliance

• • Ongoing safety certification support

Stay Informed, Stay Safe

Whether you’re a building owner or a lift user, understanding your responsibilities is essential. For owners and managers, ensuring your lifts are compliant, maintained, and equipped with an auto-dialler is not optional; it’s a regulatory obligation. For users, safe and respectful use of lifts can help avoid unnecessary breakdowns and keep systems working smoothly.

Lift entrapments are rare, but they require clear processes, compliant systems, and expert support. With VM Elevators, you benefit from:

• • A dedicated emergency callout line

• • 1-hour engineer response

• • Auto-dialler installation and testing

• • Ongoing, preventative maintenance with recommendations detailing how to keep your lift in optimal condition.

To learn more about our lift maintenance packages or to ensure your lift meets legal and safety standards, visit vmelevators.com or get in touch at 0800 448 8615 today.

VM Elevators – Always Here When You Need Us.