Onward and Upward

Welcome to the 109th edition of Elevator World UK. Yet again, it has been a busy time in the U.K. lift world. In my last introduction, I made mention of the UK Lift Industry Charity bike ride, and I am really pleased to see an article in this edition about the event. I have to say it was a fantastic event. I know I said it last time, as well, but it was really well organised and raised such a good amount of money for the charity, which goes from strength to strength and really is an industry jewel. I urge fellow industry friends to support it when they can.

Many of us have been engrossed in the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow. I followed it via the media but didn’t actually attend. However, I did find myself on a London-bound train from Glasgow toward the end of the conference. What was really interesting was that I was in a packed carriage which had a number of conference delegates in it. Earwigging as one does, I can report that — without exception — all of the delegates spoke really highly of the event and its organisation. For me, that was an interesting diversion from what the mainstream media were telling us. I am becoming quite cynical about the information I hear from the various news organisations and wonder whether we should take some of their reporting with a pinch of salt!

That having been said, our industry is relatively green and our utilisation of electrical energy is comparatively small compared with other building services. Nevertheless, we should all be doing our best when it comes to giving advice and designing lift systems. My personal view about COP26 is that it didn’t achieve what may have been achievable in terms of coal consumption, but, having heard the conversations on the train, it certainly achieved something.

The 12th annual Symposium on Lift and Escalator Technologies has taken place since the last edition, and, again, it is reported on in this edition. These are very difficult times for the Trustees and management team in organising events, as COVID-19 still affects the ability for people to converge en mass. I am sure that anyone who attended the online event will agree with me that it was great, with some very lively and well-informed debate.

So what else have we got for you in this edition? We have the fourth and final part of Dr. Ali Albadri’s published works on Escalator Fractal Behaviour. We also have articles covering topics from indicators to car frames, as well as installations in historic buildings. My column on safety again looks at release keys. It follows a court case in the U.K. where an employer received a significant fine as a result of not training staff to use a release key and having one freely available for their use. The lady involved with the incorrect use of the key fell down the lift shaft and sustained serious injuries.

Looking forward (at the time of this writing), I am attending the Safety Assessment Federation (SAFed) celebratory dinner at Tower Bridge in London this week. It’s been 25 years since SAFed was formed and it has, in my opinion, achieved so much in those years. Both the lift and escalator guidance issued is very valuable to our industry. Most of us refer to it at least daily.

All the best for now, and see you again for edition 110.