There still should be some thought regarding choosing a conventional lift as opposed to a platform lift, cost should not be the only consideration, what is the main use of the lift, how many people need to use the lift and what kind of building, should all be considered.
There are now platform lifts with full lift cars as conventional elevators which make use of lift technology in there drive systems and electronics, but still complying with the machinery directive 98/37/EC, this type of lift is perfect for buildings where it is difficult to create a deep pit and headroom is limited.
When travelling vertically over 2mts the lift must have a full height enclosure with a full height door at the upper level. There are recommended sizes of usable car area in Part M of the building regulations.
The most popular size has a 1100mm wide x 1400mm long platform, and this should be the size of lift car you aim for, however space can be limited and there are other sizes that are accepted, 900mm wide x 1400mm long, if any other lift size is used in a public building you must get building control approval.
Under the machinery directive it is only necessary to supply the the with an external alarm, but it is strongly recommended that some form of voice communication from the lift to a third party is installed, this way if for any reason the lift should stop mid travel help can be called quickly and the passengers released by the safety lowering features that should be built into your platform lift.
As you could imagine safety is paramount on any lift and a platform lift is no exception, there are numerous devices that quietly take care of there passengers.
When you have chosen your platform lift and decided where it will fit within your building, the fun can start. There are as many options with a platform lift as there are with a conventional elevator, you can chose to have a glass lift shaft with special coloured walls to blend in with its environment to special doors that can open automatically on arrival at a designated landing.
