KUALA LUMPUR: All local authorities must allocate sufficient budgets to carry out maintenance and replacement works of facilities, including lifts, at public housing flats under their jurisdiction.
Social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said this is to avoid the incident which took place at the people’s housing project (PPR) in Kampung Kerinchi here from recurring.
In the incident on Friday, eight people were injured when a lift at the PPR malfunctioned and plummeted from the fifth floor to the ground level of the building.
“The incident showed the lack of maintenance and enforcement (culture for) facilities.
“While waiting for the investigation report, all local authorities, including Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), must take necessary measures and not compromise on the safety of lifts in all public housing flats.
“They must replace old and expired lifts and allocate sufficient budgets for the maintenance and replacement of such facilities,” he said in a statement, today.
Lee said that the incident should serve as a lesson to all local authorities, apart from urging companies responsible for the construction and maintenance of the lifts to conduct regular and proper maintenance of facilities at residential flats.
Lee backed his call by citing a statement made by Deputy Human Resources Minister Datuk Mahfuz Omar in October last year on accidents involving lifts and escalators in the country.
Mahfuz had revealed that 52 incidents involving lifts and 33 involving escalators were reported to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) from 2012 to Sept 2018.
Six of the incidents resulted in death, six in permanent physical disability, and 58 in injuries without permanent disability. Most of the cases occurred due to substandard maintenance, wrongful use and vandalism.
It was reported that there are over 60,0000 elevators registered with the DOSH nationwide.
“Developers and owners of multi-storey residential buildings, including local authorities, need to ensure that all their lifts are registered with DOSH and that the facilities must be inspected every 15 months for the renewal of their Certificate of Fitness (CF).
“Elevator maintenance contractors may have their licenses cancelled and suspended if they fail to perform their duties,” Lee added.
He said that the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 states that it is the responsibility of the owner or management of a building to ensure that facilities such as elevators and escalators are safe for use.
The Act also outlines general obligations for competent designers, manufacturers, suppliers and firms to ensure that their equipment is safe to use.
The Factory and Machinery Act 1967, meanwhile, stipulates that only competent individuals and firms are permitted to perform maintenance work for such facilities.
The facilities are also subject to a number of other legislations, including the Fire Services Act 1988; Roads, Drainage and Buildings Act 1974; Electricity Supply Act 1990; and Building and Property (Maintenance and Management) Act 2007.