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LEIAANNUALREVIEW2016PAGE12 MODERNISATION Medium rise housing blocks with only one lift present challenges where families with young children have to cope with managing stairs with buggiespramsyoung children and shopping. What happens on my floor when I need a new fridge delivered is another familiar issue.The impact of Health and Safety constraints has had some unforeseen impact on resolving customer needs. For examplecontractors are no longer permitted to assist people by carrying them and are not encouraged to take shopping across a residents threshold. In the instances of families with young childrenWe try to resolve this by installing a temporary room in the lobby or a container outside to accommodate prams and buggies says John. In other circumstancesa concierge service is providedwith the lift company offering to assist with shopping and also arranging for some lift service at a pre-arranged time to deal with bulky itemsusing if possible the lift being modernised as a Goods Only Lift working on Pendant Control or CarTop Controlif fitted. to cannibalize the best elements from the lift out of service to help sustain the other whilst the work is being done. The lift and escalator industry is well accustomed to the need for method statementsrisk assessment and time scales for exampleno noisy work before 9.30 in the morning and after 4.00 in the afternoon. But there are other particular issues to take into accountwhich require a new management thread to be developed John says. LocalAuthorities and HousingAssociations are now obliged to undertake consultation some weeks ahead of planned work. Attending the consultation can be effective in finding ways to accommodate the practical needsas John saysIt helps to sit and listen to residents for an evening and try to come up with solutions. On one occasion John suggested putting a bench on each mezzanine floor of a council apartment block with a high number of elderly residentsso that people could sit and take their breath before embarking on the next flight of stairs.When visiting the block a few weeks laterhe found that the benches had become popular meeting placeswith residents bringing flasks of tea and coffee as they sat and chatted.The lift modernisation is now completed but the benches remain. We really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know each other instead of just disappearing behind our front doors said one resident. A refreshing example of unforeseen consequences being positive ones. Aswewenttopressnewscameofadelay. PleasecheckforupdatesontheLEIAwebsite. 3334 Devonshire Street London W1G 6PY Telephone 020 7935 3013 Fax 020 7935 3321 Email enquiriesleia.co.uk www.leia.co.uk Lift and Escalator Industry Association Listening to the customer CONTINUED THE CUSTOMER BRINGING LIFTS UP TO DATE In sheltered housingputting the only lift in the building out of action for six weeks whilst modernisation takes place can have very significant effect on residents and staff. There are various solutionsfor example installing a stair lift for the duration or moving disabled people to the ground floor. In some instances residents are moved out completely to temporary accommodation. Even when there are two lifts servicing a buildingproblems can arisewith the lift left in service beginning to creak under the strain of the additional use. One solution is