With 90% of decision-makers and influencers in the commercial office sector concerned about safe escalator and lift usage, the British Council for Offices has issued new guidance.
For lifts, this includes a reduction in the amount of time that doors stay open, as well as implementing queue controls, marking where users should stand, and upgrading controls to make them touchless.
Advice for escalators includes riders being informed where to stand using markings, and handrails upgraded to antimicrobial ones. An average 2,000kg escalator usually carried up to 16 people, but this will now be capped at four.
In addition, facemasks should be worn, particularly in lifts, and hand sanitising stations provided at both entry and exits points for both lifts and escalators, the BCO has said.
Office developers and owners should also incorporate more substantial design changes into buildings going forward to mitigate the impact from future pandemics, including the fitting of wide doors to lifts and improved lift ventilation.
Richard Kauntze, chief executive for the British Council for Offices, said: “As Britain’s offices slowly, safely reopen their doors, it’s vital that we think carefully about all of the different ways we need to change office life to protect people.
“Lifts and escalators are communal spaces – people are cramped together in lifts, escalator handrails can be touched by hundreds of hands a day – meaning they can present a real risk of virus transmission. This guidance helps make them safe and helps encourage employees back to the workplace.”
Neil Pennell, chair of the BCO technical affairs committee and head of design innovation and property solutions at Landsec, added: “Lifts and escalators are essential to many offices, but we barely think about them in our everyday lives. During these times they require a clear, process-driven approach to minimise the risk of virus transmission. It is essential that measures are put in place to ensure that social distancing is followed, and hygiene standards are high – this guidance will help to focus the response.”
To send feedback, e-mail louise.dransfield@egi.co.uk or tweet @DransfieldL or @estatesgazette
