Brake Failures on Lifts

Brake failures affect many types of equipment and whilst many efforts have been made in standards to improve the outcome of a brake failure they still occur. The consequences of a failure can range from a near-miss to one or more fatalities. Many service technicians take the view that with the introduction of variable frequency drives into the lift and escalator industry that the brake no longer needs maintaining. This paper will demonstrate that this opinion is incorrect. The paper will look at what happens when a brake fails, the causes of brake failure, examples of brake failures and how recent standards have developed to reduce the risk of brake failure.