On November 8, Yichang Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, coupled with the staff from the local property management companies and technicians from the elevator maintenance companies, publicizes Yichang Regulations for the Safety and Management of Residential Elevators at Baotahe Sub-district Office of Wujiagang District, during which experts concerned are ready to answer questions from the public. It’s said that up to now there have been 6322 elevators of various types in Yichang, 2100 of which are used in dwelling buildings. Meantime, according to statistics from the Hotline 12365 affiliated to the Yichang Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, the public have voiced their concerns about one of the current hottest issues-the safety of elevators for a long time, which is proved by the fact that the number of complaints about elevators’ safety ranks high among all complaints of different kinds the bureau has dealt with. For this reason, the municipal government issues the regulation in September this year to reinforce the management and to ensure that the residential elevators can run normally and in good condition as well. It is reported that it will take effect from January 1st, 2014.
Coordinated Management among Different Departments
For years, many reasons resulted in the inadequate supervision over the safety of residential elevators, such as poor management or co-operation of different branches of the administration, and unclear division of responsibility between these branches. But things will get better after the joint meeting system is established. The system responsible for the general management of the safety of residential elevators dictates that Yichang Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau should be the competent authority of the issue, and the sub-district offices (including the township people’s government), Yichang Housing and Construction Bureau, Yichang Urban and Rural Planning Bureau, related property management companies, Yichang Administration of Work Safety, Yichang Public Security Bureau and Office of Letters and Calls of Yichang as part of the joint meeting system, should also perform their corresponding responsibilities. Besides, this issue will be also included in the Community Grid Management System, which enables the information of the safety of residential elevators to be shared by all.
Acceptance Checking of New Buildings Starts from the Elevators
The quality inspection of the residential elevators conducted by the quality and technical supervision department will be one of the prerequisites for the completion of the housing projects. According to the regulations, any housing project that fails to install the elevators in accordance with the planning and design or its elevators can’t live up to the requirements through inspection and supervision, will be faced with the consequence of disability to obtain the check and acceptance record of Yichang Housing and Construction Bureau, which is a regular procedure as the construction of a new building draws to its end.
Since the elevator’s installment, reform and maintenance often involve more than one unit, the manufacturer will be fully responsible for the safety performance of their elevators from next year. The regulation also requires that the work of installment, reform and maintenance of the elevators must be done by original manufacturer or companies entrusted by the manufacturer, and sub-contracting or outsourcing in any form is prohibited.
Clear Liability Subject for the Elevator Safety
The residential elevators of some communities in Yichang are in ‘the state of neglect’, or without regular management, due to the withdrawal of some property management companies. From next year, however, these elevators will have their clear reponsible official or responsible units.
As the regulations indicate, the unit responsible for the using and management of the residential elevators is the elevators’ liability subject. Before delivering the houses, the unit responsible for management is the development and construction unit; after delivering the houses, the property management company or other administrative unit entrusted by the proprietors should be in charge of the elevators. Whereas as for certain communities, which have neither property management companies nor companies in charge of the elevators, from next year, the house-owner convention and property owner committee will be the unit responsible for management. If even the house-owner convention is not available, then the community must appoint one proprietor as the responsible official in charge of the elevators through negotiation while the rest of house-owners bearing joint and several liabilities.
Creating the Maintenance Funds for the Elevators
Lack of regular maintenance funds for the elevators is one of the very reasons for the potential safety hazards of the elevators of some communities in Yichang. But from next year on, the funds will be raised by the unit responsible for the using and management of the residential elevators from the comprehensive service charge of property management, special service charge and funding contributions of the house-owners.
If a community has set up its special maintenance funds, the cost or the expenditure for the elevator’s repair, reform or upgrading will be disbursed from it; while for those communities without the funds, the money will be raised by the house-owners themselves . If the property management company gains stable profits, the expenditure for elevator maintenance will be paid from the profits in a condition with the consent of the house-owners.
Using the Elevators Correctly
In addition, the regulations urge people to use elevator correctly and standarize their behaviors while taking elevators.These rules are as follows, don’t use the elevator with malfunction; don’t attempt to open the elevator door and its outer layer of each story without safety assurance; don’t tear down or damage its components and ancillary facilities; don’t jump, play or fight inside the elevator car.