As the focus shifts from regulation to delivery, industry leaders warn that lift fire safety is becoming a critical challenge in major retrofit and remediation programmes, particularly in older high-rise and mixed-use buildings.
As the industry works to align ageing building stock with Building Safety Act (BSA) requirements and evolving evacuation standards, fire safety in lifts is emerging as a growing concern for construction and building management professionals.
With thousands of high-rise and complex residential buildings now undergoing remediation and safety reviews, attention is increasingly turning to vertical transportation systems and their role in evacuation and firefighter access, particularly in older buildings where upgrading lift infrastructure is technically complex.
Against this backdrop, new research commissioned by PEW Electrical reveals that 63% of professionals say that lifts are a major concern when it comes to fire safety in buildings, while 48% say they expect less than half of operational lifts are compliant with fire safety standards.
It found that while understanding of regulatory requirements are improving, delivery on site remains challenging. In fact, over a third (35%) of professionals say that the main difficulty with meeting standards is technical complications in the lift shaft itself, reflecting the reality of retrofitting systems that were never designed to meet modern evacuation or firefighting lift requirements.
Perceptions of industry readiness also remain mixed — 46% say the lift industry is behind other sectors when it comes to fire safety and evacuation, and over half (51%) say the industry struggles with a technical understanding of fire safety in lifts.
Concern doesn’t end there: fire risk assessments continue to attract criticism. 39% say that fire risk assessments are inconsistent, varying between contractor and assessors, and nearly one in five (18%) say that “no one” complies with the processes, raising concerns about how reliably lift-specific risks are being captured in building safety strategies.
However, there are signs that capability is improving. 66% say that the industry is prepared to meet modern evacuation and firefighting lift standards (such as BS EN 81-72), and 57% say they are confident that lift design standards align with current building safety expectations, suggesting that while confidence in frameworks is growing, practical implementation remains the bigger hurdle.
In addition, the research also indicates that the Building Safety Act has driven real operational change within organisations. 61% say they have transformed their processes internally since the BSA to update fire risk assessments for lifts, and 46% say they now employ a lift and escalator consultant, reflecting increased reliance on specialist expertise to manage technical and regulatory complexity.
Jason Clark, registered engineer and Chairman at PEW Electrical, said: “What we’re seeing is a sector that understands the importance of lift fire safety, but the reality is that many existing buildings simply weren’t built with modern evacuation or firefighting lift requirements in mind. And fire safety performance has to be designed and delivered, not assumed.
“Lifts sit at the intersection of fire strategy, accessibility and emergency response. If they’re treated as a standalone package rather than as a critical part of the whole building safety system, gaps in technical understanding or assessment can create real risk for residents and first responders.”
With remediation programmes continuing across the UK and scrutiny from the Building Safety Regulator increasing, lift industry leaders warn that fire safety will remain a pressure point unless technical guidance, assessment practices and supply chain coordination improve in parallel with regulatory reform.
Commenting on the research, Dr. Peter Rumley, Principal of Cornwallis Rumley Heritage Consultants, added: “Retrofitting older building stock is complex at the best of times, and in heritage buildings that complexity is even more pronounced. We’re working within protected structures that were never designed to accommodate modern fire strategies or evacuation lifts, so every intervention has to balance safety, access and conservation. This makes early coordination between fire engineers, consultants, lift specialists and conservation teams absolutely essential if compliant solutions are to be delivered without harming the building’s significance.”
Jason concluded: “What we do know is that there’s no shortage of commitment in the industry — and the Building Safety Act has evidently accelerated change. But compliance on paper is not the same as confidence in real-world performance, especially in retrofit scenarios where design constraints are severe.
“The challenge now is translating that commitment into consistent, technically robust solutions that work across both new build and existing stock.”
PEW Electrical is urging main contractors, developers, designers and specifiers to engage specialists early to avoid gaps in technical knowledge that could undermine wider building safety strategies.
To find out more about PEW Electrical, visit: www.pewelectrical.com
