Carrying out servicing activities on stairlift equipment
Overview
This standard identifies the competences you need to carry out the servicing of stairlifts, in accordance with approved procedures. This will involve inspection and adjustment, dismantling, removing and replacing faulty components, in line with company procedures, on a variety of different types of stairlifts such as straight, curved and hinged, and operated by AC or DC power supplies. You will be expected to apply a range of dismantling and assembling methods and techniques, such as proof marking to aid reassembly, dismantling components requiring pressure or expansion/contraction techniques, setting, aligning and adjusting components, torque loading components and making `off-load' checks before starting up the stairlifts.
Your responsibilities will require you to comply with organisational policy and procedures for the servicing activities undertaken, and to report any problems with these activities, or with the tools and equipment used, that you cannot personally resolve or are outside your permitted authority, to the relevant people. You must ensure that all tools, equipment and materials used in the servicing activities are removed from the work area on completion of the activities, and that all necessary job/task documentation is completed accurately and legibly. You will be expected to work to instructions, alone or in conjunction with others, taking personal responsibility for your own actions, and for the quality and accuracy of the work that you carry out.
Your underpinning knowledge will be sufficient to provide a sound basis for your work, and will enable you to adopt an informed approach to applying stairlift servicing procedures. You will have an understanding of dismantling and reassembly methods and procedures, and their application. You will know how the equipment functions and the purpose of individual components, in adequate depth to provide a sound basis for carrying out any inspection, repair or adjustment. In addition, you will have sufficient knowledge of these components to ensure that they are fit for purpose and meet the specifications, thus providing a sound basis for carrying out reassembly.
You will understand the safety precautions required when carrying out the servicing activities, especially those for isolating the equipment. You will also understand your responsibilities for safety, and the importance of taking the necessary safeguards to protect yourself and others in the workplace.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
- work safely at all times, complying with health and safety and other relevant regulations, directives and guidelines
- follow the relevant maintenance schedules to carry out the required work
- carry out the maintenance activities within the limits of your personal authority
- carry out the maintenance activities in the specified sequence and in an agreed timescale
- report any instances where the maintenance activities cannot be fully met or where there are identified defects outside the planned schedule
- complete relevant maintenance records accurately and pass them on to the appropriate person
- dispose of waste materials in accordance with safe working practices and approved procedures
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the health and safety requirements of the area in which the servicing activity is to take place, and the responsibility these requirements place on you
- the isolation and/or lock-off or permit-to-work procedures that applies
- the specific health and safety precautions to be applied during the servicing procedure, and their effects on others
- the hazards associated with carrying out stairlift servicing activities (such as handling oils, greases, stored pressure/force, misuse of tools, using damaged or badly maintained tools and equipment, not following laid-down servicing procedures), and how to minimise them
- the importance of wearing protective clothing and other appropriate safety equipment (PPE) during the servicing activity
- what constitutes a hazardous voltage and how to recognise victims of electric shock
- how to reduce the risks of a phase to earth shock (such as insulated tools, rubber mating and isolating transformers)
- how to obtain and interpret information from job instructions and other documents needed in the servicing process (such as drawings, specifications, manufacturers' manuals)
- the operational safety checks that are applied, and the importance of following them correctly during servicing activities
- the methods and techniques used to service stairlift equipment (such as visual examination, dismantling equipment, replacing damaged/defective components, setting, aligning and adjusting and functionally testing)
- methods of checking that components are fit for purpose, and how to identify defects and wear characteristics
- the basic principles of how the equipment functions, its operating sequence, the working purpose of individual units/components and how they interact
- the uses of mechanical and electrical measuring devices
- how to make adjustments to components/assemblies to ensure that they function correctly (such as setting working clearance, setting travel and running and sliding conditions)
- the importance of making visual checks before running the equipment under power
- how to check that tools and equipment are free from damage or defects, are in a safe and usable condition, and are configured correctly for the intended purpose
- the importance of servicing documentation and/or reports following the servicing activity, and how to complete them
- the equipment operating and control procedures to be applied during the servicing activity
- how to apply manual handling techniques when servicing stairlifts
- the problems that can occur when carrying out servicing of stairlifts, and what to do if they occur
- the organisational procedure(s) to be adopted for the safe disposal of waste of all types of materials
- the extent of your own authority and to whom you should report if you have a problem that you cannot resolve
Scope/range
Scope Performance
Carry out all of the following during the servicing activity:
- undertake the servicing activities to cause minimal disruption to the customer
- provide the customer with a briefing, prior to carrying out the servicing activity
- review the customer's comments
- obtain and use the correct issue of drawings, job instructions and procedures
- adhere to procedures or systems in place for risk assessment, COSHH, personal protective equipment and other relevant safety regulations
- ensure the safe isolation of equipment (such as mechanical, electricity)
- ensure safe access and working arrangements for the servicing area
- carry out the servicing activities, using appropriate techniques and procedures
- reinstate and return the stairlifts to service on completion of the servicing activities
- ensure that any potential defects are identified and reported for further action
- dispose of waste items in a safe and environmentally acceptable manner
- leave the work area in a safe and tidy condition
Carry out servicing activities on all of the following types AC or DC powered stairlifts:
- straight
- curved
- hinged
Check all of the following for operational safety, security and condition, in line with manufacturers' specifications:
- mains switch
- safety gear
- overspeed governor
- safety sensitive edges/pads
- circuit protection devices (such as residual current device (RCD), and earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB))
- levelling devices (mechanical or electrical)
- safety interlocks
- hinged rail
- swivel seat
- footrest and springs
- carriage motor gearbox and brake
- overload devices/fuses
- seatbelts
- charging system
- hinge/swivel motor (where appropriate)
- limit switches (slow, stop and final)
- chair, landing and auxiliary controls
Check all of the following for damage, wear, security and condition, in line with manufacturers' specifications:
- rail
- rollers
- upholstery
- trailing cable
- wiring looms
- batteries
- rack and pinion
- fixing of rail to stairs
- warning labels
- fixing of chair to carriage
- chains and sprockets (where appropriate)
- printed circuit boards (PCBs)
Carry out all of the following servicing activities:
- dismantling equipment to the appropriate level
- make sensory checks (such as sight ,sound, smell, touch)
- checking continuity of protective conductors
- setting, aligning and adjusting components
- tightening fastenings to the required torque
- remove excess dirt and grime
- applying lubrication
- functionally testing the completed system
Ensure that the serviced stairlift complies with all of the following, as appropriate to the equipment being serviced:
- organisational guidelines and codes of practice
- equipment manufacturer's operation range
- customers requirements
- BS, ISO and/or BSEN standards
Complete one of the following servicing records, and pass it to the appropriate person:
- service record card
- job card/corrective action report
company specific documentation