Are Home Lifts Kid Friendly?

More people are installing home lifts into their homes these days than ever before. What once was considered only a luxury, is now seen as an investment, one which offers homeowners a safe and reliable way of moving around their home with ease. 

Whilst older lifts may come with their safety concerns – especially for use by kids – modern lifts have seen a rise in safety features alongside this rise in popularity. Generally speaking, this means that these days most modern lifts are much safer than what they used to be. In fact, the quality ones tend to be so safe that your entire family can benefit from them, even your pets!

Enquire about the lift’s safety features

Even though most modern lifts are deemed safe for the whole family, you’ll still want to make sure that they meet all the standard safety requirements – unique to your situation – before investing in one. Be sure to invest in a quality lift and don’t feel shy to ask as many questions as you need to. Just remember, your and your family’s safety is worth spending the extra time doing your research. 

Some examples of beneficial safety features include emergency bells, phones, handrails, gates, interlocks, power backups, lighting and indicators. 

Emergency bells and phones

Emergency bells are a great safety addition because they enable you to be located or locate another family member during an emergency or accident. Phones are most beneficial to those who don’t carry cell phones with them, as they allow the person in the lift to call upon someone for help or assistance. 

Handrails

The support you get from something as simple as handrails cannot go unnoticed. These allow you to support yourself in an upright position, help you to pull yourself up into an upright position, as well as to regain your balance. These are most beneficial to the elderly, young children and anyone with an injury.

Gates

The gate is a safety feature that prevents the lift from moving when someone is still in the process of getting in and out of the lift. The gate looks like an extra set of doors, which open and close separately to the main doors. 

Interlocks

In a nutshell, interlocks stop you from opening the lift when it’s stationed at another floor. This means that you won’t even be able to see the lift until it is fully stationed on the same floor as you. This feature helps to prevent many potentially dangerous situations, especially for kids. 

Power backups

Older lifts used to mean getting stuck inside the lift during a power cut. Fortunately, modern lifts have backup batteries that take over during power cuts. This means that you’ll still be able to get to the bottom floor and leave your premises should you need to. 

Lighting and indicators

Lighting is an important feature of your lift as you’ll need it to see where you are and where you’re heading. During a power cut, the backup battery should also power the lighting so you are never left in the dark. Bad lighting can cause accidents and tripping that could otherwise be avoided. 

Teach your grandchildren or kids that lifts aren’t toys

Alongside ensuring your lift has the necessary safety features, you should also teach the kids using the lift that it should only be used as a form of getting around the house, and not as a toy. This is really important because kids are naturally curious and may land up breaking something or getting hurt. 

Run through the safety features with the entire household

You should always run through all of the safety features and rules with everyone in the household, just like you would with any other emergency drill. Being in a lift during any emergency can be extremely scary if you aren’t aware of what to expect beforehand.