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examination it is found that work is necessary to enable the lift to be used with safety, a report specifying
these works is forwarded by the competent person to the Council. A notice is then served upon the
responsible person specifying any deficiencies, followed up by a visit to ensure the work is carried out.
When an officer makes a routine visit under the Act to premises containing a lift or a hoist, he asks to see
a copy of the competent person's last report. Where a lift has not been examined by a competent person, or
if the last report is out of date, the responsible person is requested to have the lift examined immediately.
Should the competent person's report not be available on the premises e.g. in some cases such reports are
kept in a company's head office, a request is made to the company for a sight of the report. Notices in
respect of lifts and hoists are served only after receipt of a competent person's report.
A number of premises, particularly catering and licensed premises, contain hand power lifts and hoists
which have not been examined by a competent person. An effort is being made to make owners aware of
this requirement. Many of these premises are visited under the Food Hygiene (General) Regulations, 1960
and the opportunity is used to deal at the same time with the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises Act in
general and Hoists and Lifts in particular.
Sometimes it has been found that a competent person's report on a hand power lift or hoist does not
contain sufficient detail in the adequate protection of a 'liftway' and a suitable item is being included to
cover this in the notice served by the Council.