Wednesday 25 April 2007

Labour on defective lifts and buildings in Durban

When one realizes that a defective lift can be a complete barrier to access for many people with disabilities, or worse, if they are defective then potentially they could strand people on upper floors, with no means of escape; then we should be absolutely horrified at this finding. It is essential that action is taken by the authorities to address this serious, dangerous problem. this work was done in Durban, but I am sure other cities in South Africa would be no better. I will follow this with great interest.

Labour on defective lifts and buildings in Durban: "24 April 2007

A random survey of buildings in parts of Durban's inner city and surrounding suburbs shows that 67% have lifts that are defective or not functioning.

The findings of the study also show that a total of 33 buildings out of 49 have lifts that are not functioning or defective. Sixty seven percent of the buildings' lifts have broken down completely, stalled frequently or are defective.

Fifty three percent of the lifts were not functioning at all from less than a year to 20 years. Approximately 20% have not worked for a period of between four to five years, and 8% between 10 to 11 years with complaints by residents disregarded by the owners or bodies corporate."

1 comment:

Guy said...

I have been following up on this topic, and I hope that same good will come out of it all. The Department of Labour (who released the initial statement) told me "we’re already sending technical inspectors to do further investigations with a view to take the necessary steps of instructing the landlords to put notices to warn users of potential hazards/danger. Failure to comply will lead to them being liable for compensation on injuries incurred. They may also face criminal charges."

We'll see...

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