Use of Lifts in an Emergency

摘要

This paper examines the changing philosophy of using lifts in an emergency for building evacuation. In the past lifts have been excluded as a means of evacuation but new factors have caused this philosophy to be re-examined with a view to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of building evacuation. The paper examines current practices and identifies issues that need to be considered to improve the reliability of the lift and its environment to cope with conditions experienced during an emergency evacuation. It concludes that provided lifts are "hardened" they can be used as an effective secondary means of evacuation and encourages organisations developing standards for this purpose to harmonise their approach so that a single global approach can be developed.