What is an authorising engineer for lifts?
An NHS Authorising Engineer (Lifts) (AE) is an independent chartered engineer, like engineers at LECS UK, appointed by a healthcare organisation or NHS Trust to oversee the safety, compliance, and management of, lifts in accordance with Health Technical Memorandum 08-02 (HTM 08-02). Their responsibilities include appointing and monitoring Authorised Persons (APs), auditing maintenance, providing technical guidance, and ensuring compliance with safety legislation to manage risks effectively. In short an authorising engineer for lifts provides advice and assess compliance to HTM08-02. An authorising engineer for lifts is often abbreviated to AE Lifts.
When is an authorising engineer for lifts required?
Under the health technical memorandum HTM00, the person within an NHS Trust or healthcare organisation who has overall responsibility for lifts and their safe operation (the Designated Person for lifts) is responsible for ensuring the appointment of an authorising engineer (AE) for lifts.
What does an authorising engineer (AE) for lifts do?
The AE Lifts assists the NHS Trust or healthcare organisation to meet the responsibilities as defined in HTM08-02 Lifts, and provides specialist advice concerning lifts. This can include:
- Assessing condition of lifts and escalators
- Assessing lifecycle requirements
- Providing advice to guide capital investment planning for lifts and escalators
- Assessing and monitoring the maintenance provisions and statutory inspections (LOLER inspections) for the lift and escalator portfolio
- Assessing the requirements for passenger release training for lifts and advising on the training requirements for those that need it
- Assessing the Trust’s policies and duty holders and assisting the Trust in complying with HTM08-02
- Identifying gaps and helping the NHS Trust or healthcare organisation to implement action plans to address these.
Can an authorising engineer for lifts help with anything else?
The AE Lifts can also help the NHS Trust with:
- Accident or incident investigations
- Developing comprehensive lift management policies
- Modifying existing lifts to facilitate use as part of an evacuation
- Advice or second opinion on operational issues
- Recommending improvements to address any issues
- Design and planning for new buildings
- Advice and support for lift modernisation, refurbishment or lift replacement of existing lifts to ensure long-term operational effectiveness
- Advice on any technical developments; changes in standards and good practice
- Assist the NHS Trust’s estates team with day-to-day operations concerning lifts and escalators.
Why appoint LECS UK’s lift and escalator independent consulting engineers to be your authorising engineer for lifts?
From our experience, we appreciate the time pressure on teams within NHS Trusts. so we produce straightforward plans and reports that quicly identify what needs to be done, by whom and when.
LECS UK is available throughout the UK to provide support – from independent professional advice, to managing entire projects on behalf of the NHS Trust.
We help NHS estates teams and NHS facilities managers meet all compliance requirements.
We offer UK-wide independent lift consultancy and AE lifts coverage to all NHS Trust, NHS primary care facilities and all other healthcare organisations.
We are always happy to help, so lets talk
