Lifts
Platform lifts are essentially platforms that travel vertically between floors, carrying disabled or wheelchair bound passengers who would not be able to travel otherwise. Platform lifts are installed in locations where it is not realistic to install a passenger lift or other type of disabled lift, and when it is impractical for certain users to use a staircase.
It is required by law that buildings that are open to the public have a means of disabled transport between floors. Many buildings rely upon a passenger lift, and though this is ideal, it is often not a viable option for all locations. A stair lift can be a useful solution to this problem, but it can restrict access to the staircase, and may not always be appropriate. Many locations are suited perfectly to the installation of a platform lift. It can be a valuable asset to any building - convenient for some and essential for others. It ensures that a location adheres to government legislation, while also allowing disabled people to have a good quality of life by minimising restrictions placed on them due to their disabilities.
A typical platform lift can bear a load of up to 1000KG, and can travel between up to five floors. This may not be as flexible as other means of transport such as passenger lifts, but it is often ideal for a platform lift that exists simply to carry passengers between a few floors. Buildings that have more than five floors often have a passenger lift installed anyway, and this can be used by disabled people. It is possible to have a temporary platform lift put in place if there isn’t room for a permanent installation. A lift like this may not be able to travel between the same number of floors, or carry the same load, but it can be an ideal solution for certain environments.
When installing a platform lift, measurements of height and floor space must be taken into account to create a lift that is unique to the building it is in, and one which is ideally suited to its task. All platform lifts are custom made, as a generic lift is unlikely to suit all locations. The lift can be customised further with the installation of extra safety features such as an emergency alarm button or an external power supply that would come into effect if the normal power supply failed.