Independent Elevator, Lift and Escalator Inspection and Testing

Lifts and escalators carry the public continuously, and their safety depends on devices that only operate in a failure: safety gear, overspeed governors and buffers. Those devices sit idle for years and are proven only by testing them under load, which is the part of inspection most often reduced to a visual check. itmad carries out the tests that the standards require instead of substituting a visual examination, as third-party inspection independent of the maintenance contractor. itmad operates across the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Last reviewed: October 2026.

Equipment covered

Traction and hydraulic passenger lifts, goods and service lifts, firefighting and evacuation lifts, machine room-less (MRL) lifts, escalators and moving walkways, platform and wheelchair lifts, stairlifts, car and vehicle lifts, dumbwaiters and service hoists, and home and villa lifts.

When inspection is needed

In many places the authority with jurisdiction requires periodic third-party lift inspection, commonly at annual intervals, and it sets the interval. Inspection is also needed on commissioning, after major modification or replacement of a safety component, and following an entrapment or incident. Firefighting lifts carry additional periodic verification of their firefighting operation, and itmad issues certificates in the format that the authority requires.

Load testing

Safety gear, brake and traction tests are carried out with rated load as the standard requires. Test weights are brought to the installation and removed on completion, so access and timing need planning in advance, particularly in occupied buildings, and itmad agrees the arrangements before attendance and not on the day.

Lift inspection

Safety gear operation is tested and not merely inspected, since it is the device that stops a falling car and the one most likely to have seized. The overspeed governor tripping speed is verified against the rated speed and the setting on the device, and brake performance and holding capability are tested, including redundancy where the design provides it, with traction and rope grip assessed. Suspension ropes or belts are assessed against discard criteria, together with their terminations and equalisation, and buffers are checked for type, condition and reset behaviour.

The inspector also checks re-levelling and protection against unintended car movement; landing and car door locking, closing forces (a maximum of 150 N under EN 81-20) and reopening devices; car and counterweight guides, shoes and rollers; and the machine, drive, gearbox and sheave condition. The controller, limit and final limit switches and the inspection control operation are tested, and alarm, intercom and emergency communication are verified as answered and not merely audible. Emergency manual operation and the passenger release procedure are checked, as are the pit, headroom, refuge spaces and machine room access and condition, and on hydraulic installations the safety valves, pipework and a pressure test.

Escalator and walkway inspection

Steps and pallets are examined for condition, gaps, level and demarcation, and comb plates, comb impact devices and step upthrust detection are checked. Handrail speed, synchronisation, condition and entry point protection are verified, and brake performance and stopping distance are measured against the EN 115 permitted range. Drive and step chain condition and elongation are examined, along with skirting, deflectors and clearances, emergency stop devices and their position and function, the balustrade, cladding and lighting, and the truss condition and support arrangements.

Standards applied

Inspection follows the standard that the governing authority or the installation's design basis specifies: EN 81-20 for the construction and installation of passenger and goods lifts, EN 81-50 for examination and tests, and EN 115 for escalators and moving walkways. Where an installation was built to American practice, ASME A17.1 and A17.2 apply, the requirements of the authority having jurisdiction are applied alongside, and manufacturer instructions govern component-specific limits.

Independence from the maintenance contractor

Most lift inspection is carried out by the company that holds the maintenance contract, which means that the party assessing the condition is the party responsible for it. itmad does not maintain, repair, modernise or supply lifts, so where an inspection identifies a defect, the finding carries no commercial interest in who corrects it.

Who commissions this

Building owners and facility management companies; developers at handover and at defect liability expiry; owners associations and property managers; hotels, malls, hospitals and airports; government entities managing public buildings; and owners who want verification independent of the lift maintenance contractor.

What the client receives

An inspection certificate in the format that the authority requires, and a report that identifies each installation by number, type, capacity and location. The report gives test results for safety gear, governor, brake and traction with measured values, and escalator brake stopping distances measured against the EN 115 permitted range. Findings carry photographic evidence and are classified by severity, any installation that must be taken out of service is clearly stated, and the installation register is updated with next due dates where itmad holds it.

Frequently asked questions

Why is safety gear tested and not just inspected?

Safety gear is the device that stops a falling car and the one most likely to have seized, and it is proven only by testing under load. A visual check cannot show that it will operate.

How often must lifts be inspected?

In many places periodic third-party inspection is required, commonly annually, and the authority with jurisdiction sets the interval. Inspection is also needed on commissioning, after modernisation or replacement of a safety component, and following an entrapment or incident.

Can the maintenance company do the inspection?

They can, but the party assessing the installation is then the party responsible for maintaining it. Independent inspection separates the two, and itmad does not maintain, repair, modernise or supply lifts.

Does the lift need to be taken out of service?

Yes, for the duration of testing, because safety gear and brake tests require the car to be operated under controlled conditions with rated load. itmad schedules outside peak hours where the building requires it and confirms the expected duration in advance.

Do you inspect home lifts and escalators?

Yes. Home lifts, platform lifts, stairlifts, car lifts, dumbwaiters, escalators and moving walkways are all covered. Home lifts are often overlooked because they sit outside a building's commercial maintenance contract.

Which standards do you inspect to?

Normally EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 for lifts and EN 115 for escalators, or ASME A17.1 and A17.2 where the installation was built to American practice. The requirements of the authority having jurisdiction apply alongside.