In brief
Observe from safe public areas, record what you notice and report concerns through the agreed route. Stop the check if anything appears unsafe.
This checklist is for ordinary passenger-lift observations. It does not replace maintenance, thorough examination or any required equipment-specific tests, and completing it does not certify safety.
Car · Landing · Levelling · Platform lift
Agree the routine before you start
Ask the building’s responsible manager and competent lift provider to agree:
- Which lift and public areas your round covers.
- What you may observe, what training you need and what you must not operate.
- How often the round is needed, using the manufacturer’s instructions, the building’s risk assessment, use and known issues.
- Who receives a fault report, including out of hours, and who covers your absence.
- How to keep people away from an unsafe lift without putting yourself at risk.
There is no single daily or weekly schedule in this template that suits every installation. Keep any required checks and their actual intervals in the site procedure. Do not wait for the next scheduled round to report a fault.
HSE emphasises competent maintenance and a way to report faulty equipment. Staff observations support those arrangements; they do not replace the contractor’s work.
Source: HSE maintenance guidance .
Check for existing out-of-service notices or restrictions first. Do not enter, operate or reopen a lift that has been taken out of use. If you cannot safely observe an item, mark it “not observed” and record why.
Use this observation checklist
Use this during your agreed building round and ordinary authorised use. Do not make a test journey, recreate a reported fault or enter a lift you suspect is unsafe. Record user reports as reports, separate from what you personally observed.
Approaches and landings
From a safe public area, look for obstructions, spills, poor lighting or damage around the lift entrance.
Keep within your role: Report hazards. Only deal with ordinary housekeeping within your role and the building’s safe procedure; do not reach into door tracks or gaps.
Doors and entrance
Look for visible damage or unusual door behaviour noticed during normal use.
Keep within your role: Do not force, hold back or obstruct doors to test them. Keep clear and report faults; leave door protection and locking tests to authorised competent people.
Floor level at a stop
If an uneven step between the lift floor and landing is noticed during normal use, record the floor and what was seen.
Keep within your role: Do not step across a suspect gap, measure near an opening or ride the lift to reproduce the problem. Report promptly and prevent use through the agreed procedure where unsafe.
Car lighting and visible condition
Where visible safely, note failed lights, damaged floor finishes, loose fittings or damaged panels.
Keep within your role: Do not enter a suspect lift or touch damaged electrical parts. Do not open panels or attempt repairs.
Normal-use observations
Record unusual noise, vibration, jolting, unexpected movement or controls that did not respond during ordinary authorised use; also record user reports.
Keep within your role: Do not make extra journeys or repeatedly operate controls to diagnose a fault. Describe the observation without guessing the cause.
Instructions and contacts
Check that visible user instructions, capacity information and fault-reporting contacts are legible and match the building’s records.
Keep within your role: Report missing or incorrect information. Do not alter technical labels or capacity information yourself.
Alarm records and reports
Check for reported alarm problems and whether the agreed alarm check has a recorded result and next due date.
Keep within your role: This is a records check, not an alarm test. Only test under a separately agreed procedure if trained and authorised; coordinate with the receiving service.
Open actions and notices
Check that reported issues have a named owner, job reference and next follow-up, and that any out-of-service notices remain in place as instructed.
Keep within your role: Do not remove restrictions or declare the lift safe because it appears to work. Record the competent provider’s confirmation before closing a technical action.
Building staff observation checklist
Eight prompts with clear limits, space for findings, who was contacted and the next action. Use one copy per lift and round. Enter “no issue observed”, “issue reported” or “not observed — reason”; these are observations, not safety pass/fail results.
Routine lift observation checklistChoose Excel to edit, PDF to fill in or print, or CSV for a plain spreadsheet. Add your building details and save a copy on your device.
Know what to leave to engineers and specialists
Repairs, resets and restricted areas
Leave diagnosis, repairs, adjustments, lubrication, electrical isolation and controller resets to competent, authorised personnel. Do not open panels, use landing-door release keys, enter the shaft or pit, climb onto the car roof, or access machinery spaces as part of this round. Do not restart equipment to see whether the fault clears.
Safety devices and load tests
Do not bypass locks, hold doors open to test movement, put objects or body parts in closing doors, or test brakes, overload protection or other safety devices. These need the appropriate competence, equipment and safe procedure.
Alarm and other operational tests
Some checks may be assigned to trained building staff under a specific written procedure. Do them only if you are competent and authorised for that task. This observation checklist does not provide that procedure. Alarm tests must be coordinated with the receiving service; use the alarm guide to establish the arrangements.
Rescue and return to service
Do not attempt to release trapped passengers, force doors or make a technical return-to-service decision. Follow the emergency arrangements and obtain confirmation from the competent provider.
Act on a concern before finishing the form
Use the building’s emergency response route immediately. Call 999 for immediate danger or a medical emergency. Keep clear of hazards and do not attempt a rescue. Use the breakdown guide for the reporting steps.
If there is a suspected safety fault—such as an unsafe opening, unexpected movement, a significant levelling problem, exposed electrical damage or a failed emergency alarm—stop your observations. Do not use the lift to investigate. Notify the responsible manager and competent provider immediately, and arrange to prevent use through the building’s safe procedure. Technical isolation belongs with authorised competent people.
For other observations, such as a missing contact notice, record the issue and arrange follow-up through the agreed route. You are not being asked to decide whether a technical fault is harmless. If unsure, keep clear and seek prompt advice.
A report should give the lift reference, location, time, what happened, whether anyone needs help, who was contacted and the job number. Take a photo only from a safe place if useful; avoid personal details and never approach a hazard for evidence.
Use a clear written follow-up
Report an observation clearly
Copy this wording and replace the square brackets with your details.
Subject: Lift observation — [building / lift reference / date and time]
Location: [building address, lift reference and floor if relevant]
Observed by / reported to us by: [staff role or reference; avoid unnecessary personal details]
What was seen or heard: [plain description, when it happened and whether it is happening now; do not guess the cause]
Known immediate concern: [state whether anyone is trapped, injured or at risk; explain any urgent issue]
Action already taken: [who was contacted, when, job reference and any restrictions or measures confirmed]
Current lift status: [out of use / status awaiting confirmation / other confirmed position, and who confirmed it]
Please confirm the action needed, any restrictions on use, expected attendance and the next update time. Our building contact is [name / contact] and the follow-up owner is [name / role].
Please provide a record of findings, work completed and any remaining actions. Where use has been restricted, please confirm who can authorise return to service and what confirmation is required.
This written record follows the urgent call where one is needed. Do not wait for an email response to report an immediate safety concern or entrapment through the building’s emergency route.
Download message template (TXT) ↓Keep urgent reporting by phone or the agreed emergency route separate from this written record. The checklist has space to record who owns the next action and when they will follow up.
Keep specialist checks and records separate
Platform lifts and other equipment: this general passenger-lift round is not a complete checklist for platform lifts, stairlifts or goods-only lifts. Use the specific manufacturer’s instructions and competent advice. HSE’s platform-lift safety alert calls for particular daily checks by a competent person; this observation sheet does not replace them.
Source: HSE platform-lift safety alert .
Firefighting and evacuation functions: separate checks and reporting arrangements apply to relevant equipment in high-rise residential buildings in England. Confirm the building-specific requirements with the person responsible for fire safety. Do not operate fire-service or evacuation controls as part of this round unless separately trained and authorised under the agreed procedure.
Source: Home Office fact sheet on lifts and firefighting equipment .
Maintenance and examination: keep the visit records, examination reports and defect deadlines separate from staff observation sheets. Read servicing versus thorough examination if the distinction is unclear.
After a report, record the provider’s findings and any remaining action. If use was restricted, retain the competent provider’s confirmation before arranging removal of notices. A quiet period or a completed checklist does not close a technical fault. Put follow-up dates in the management calendar; use the recurring fault log if incidents repeat.
Sources & scope
HSE · Maintenance of work equipment HSE · Simple guidance for lift owners (PDF) HSE · Platform lift safety alert Home Office · Lifts and essential firefighting equipmentSources checked on 16 October 2026. The observation prompts and templates are editorial management aids, not an HSE-approved inspection schedule or a safety certificate. HSE supports the competence, reporting and distinction between activities; the platform-lift alert and England-specific fire-safety fact sheet explain why separate arrangements may be needed. Confirm the scope, frequency, competence and safe procedure for your actual equipment.