Lift terms,
in plain English.
Short explanations of 25 terms you may see in reports, quotes and conversations with your lift provider.
Choose a term above, then follow its guide link if you need the next steps. These are plain-language explanations, not formal legal definitions or instructions for working on equipment.
Reports and responsibilities
Competent person
Someone with the knowledge and experience needed for the particular task. An examiner also needs sufficient independence and impartiality.
For you: Ask who will do the work and what makes them suitable for that job.
Who does what →Dutyholder
A person or organisation with legal responsibilities for the equipment. More than one party may have duties.
For you: A job title or contractor appointment alone does not settle who is responsible.
Clarify responsibilities →LOLER
The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998. These cover lifting equipment used at work, including requirements for thorough examination.
For you: Confirm what applies to the use of your lift; do not rely on the building’s name alone.
Understand LOLER →PUWER
The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998. These deal with work equipment being suitable, maintained and used safely.
For you: LOLER and PUWER address different aspects of equipment safety; an examination is not maintenance.
Separate servicing and examination →Thorough examination
A detailed safety examination by a competent person, followed by a written report. People sometimes ask for a “LOLER certificate”; request the full report.
For you: Read the findings and restrictions, not just the next due date.
Read your examination report →Examination scheme
A scheme drawn up by a competent person that sets the scope and timing of thorough examinations for the equipment.
For you: Keep a copy where one applies. It is separate from the service schedule.
Organise examination dates →Defect
A fault or shortcoming identified in the equipment. Its significance and any deadline depend on the findings, not just the word “defect”.
For you: Follow the examiner’s instructions and ask promptly if the action or restriction is unclear.
Act on report findings →Service record
The record of a maintenance visit: what was done, what was found and what still needs attention. It is not the thorough examination report.
For you: Match it to the right lift and follow up unfinished work.
Know what record to request →Lift parts and types
Car
The part of a passenger lift that people travel in. “Car doors” are the doors on that moving part.
For you: Use this word to distinguish a problem inside the lift from one at a landing.
Describe a fault clearly →Landing
A building floor where people enter or leave the lift. Landing doors are on the building side of the entrance.
For you: Give the floor and lift reference when reporting a problem.
Report the location →Shaft and pit
The shaft, also called the well, is the space the lift travels in. The pit is the space below the lowest landing.
For you: These are restricted areas. Do not enter them as part of a building staff round.
Know the limits of staff checks →Levelling
How the lift floor lines up with the landing floor when it stops.
For you: Report an unexpected step or uneven stop. Do not step across a suspect gap or ride again to reproduce it.
Report an observation safely →Traction lift
A lift moved by a motor-driven wheel gripping its suspension ropes or belts, usually with a counterweight.
For you: Ask the provider to confirm the lift type from the records; the type alone does not tell you its condition.
Identify your equipment →Hydraulic lift
A lift raised using pressurised fluid acting on a piston. Some designs also use ropes as part of the lifting arrangement.
For you: Record the type from the documents or provider. Leave fluid systems and adjustments to engineers.
Collect the lift details →Platform lift
A lift with a lifting platform, often provided for access. Its design, controls and required checks can differ from a conventional passenger lift.
For you: Confirm the exact equipment type and use its own instructions and check arrangements.
Check equipment-specific requirements →See the parts in context: Forge Lifts’ interactive lift model shows a simplified traction lift and its components. It can help you picture the terms above. Actual designs vary and the cutaway omits some enclosures and safety equipment; it is an explanation, not an inspection or operating guide. Provider resource checked 16 October 2026.
Maintenance, contracts and alarms
LEIA
The Lift and Escalator Industry Association: a UK trade association that represents the industry and provides guidance and training. It is not a regulator. Membership means a company has chosen to join and must meet the association’s membership criteria; it is not a quality rating or a guarantee of service.
For you: Membership alone does not show that one company is better than another, and non-membership alone does not show poor quality. Check experience with your lift, references, insurance and the service offered.
Compare providers and their offers →Maintenance / servicing
Work to keep equipment in working order and deal with wear or faults. The agreed programme should suit the installation.
For you: Keep the visit schedule and records separate from thorough examination.
Understand servicing →Call-out
An attendance requested for a fault or other issue, usually outside the planned service visits.
For you: Check which hours, travel, labour, parts and return visits your contract covers.
Check your cover →Response time
A contract’s promised response to a report. It may refer to answering a call or attending the site; check the wording.
For you: An attendance promise is not a promise that the lift will be repaired by then.
Compare response commitments →Exclusions
Items or circumstances that a contract or quote does not cover.
For you: Ask what becomes chargeable and how costs are approved, even if cover is called “comprehensive”.
Check scope and exclusions →Modernisation
Upgrading selected parts or systems of an existing lift while keeping other equipment.
For you: Ask exactly what is replaced, what is retained and what improvement is expected.
Compare repair, upgrade and replacement →Obsolescence
When a component or system is no longer made or supported in the same way, which can affect future repairs.
For you: Ask for evidence about parts and support, and the available options. The label alone does not prove the whole lift needs replacing.
Review the evidence for major work →Autodialler
Equipment that automatically makes an emergency call from the lift to a programmed destination when activated.
For you: Confirm where the call goes and who will arrange help; a working button alone does not prove the whole route works.
Confirm the alarm arrangements →Alarm monitoring
The service that receives lift alarm calls and follows the agreed response arrangements.
For you: The people answering the call may be different from those attending. Confirm both roles and service hours.
Map the route to help →Digital switchover / PSTN
PSTN means Public Switched Telephone Network: the traditional phone network. The digital switchover moves landline calling to internet-based services.
For you: Check the lift alarm’s compatibility and backup power with its providers. Mobile-network changes are a separate issue.
Plan for connection changes →Sources and scope
Unless noted otherwise, sources checked 16 October 2026. Regulatory explanations concern Great Britain. Practical contract and reporting notes are editorial guidance: your documents and equipment-specific advice determine the detail.
- HSE: lift owner guidance — examinations and responsibilities
- HSE: thorough examinations — reports, competence and schemes
- HSE: LOLER overview
- HSE: PUWER overview
- HSE: platform-lift safety alert — separate check arrangements
- Ofcom: digital landlines — network terminology
- Illinois State Fire Marshal: hydraulic and traction designs (mechanical background only; US rules do not apply here)
- LEIA: role of the association ; membership criteria — checked 19 October 2026.