Stair Lift Safety Tips

Stair lifts have made is easier for people with physical disabilities to increase their mobility within their own houses and personal offices. Disabilities caused from aging, accidental incapacity, muscular disorders and polio can severely restrict people's freedom to move around in their own homes.

The system of and others, provide a sense of autonomy, thereby making them self-reliant and sufficient.

These steps can be placed in almost any house which has a first floor and more, thereby making the above rooms accessible to these individuals. The mechanism must always be installed by a stair lift installation specialist, but these services can be expensive when accumulated with the charges for the device in itself.

Thus there exist economical DIY stair lift options, which can be installed using the rather affordable services of a handyman or technician.

You must ensure that the handyman is provided with a copy of the instruction manual, so that the next time he comes, he will be prepared to install the stair lift in your home or office. You too must be familiar with the instructions, so that you will know the installation is going according to the instructions mentioned in the manual.

Once the stair lift has been installed, you must make sure that you allow a few demo tests to run. If possible ask someone to place a heavy object on the seat, to check if the seat isn't wobbling and the lift is functioning smoothly. You may request the handyman to perform this task while he is still checking for faults and corrections.

All stair lifts come with locks which allow you to switch on and off the mechanism, for which there will be a key provided. Always keep the key away from children as they may tend to play with it or lose it. A duplicate of the key must be made, and kept in a safe place, so that it is accessible, in case the original key is lost.

All stair lifts come with brake buttons or levers, built-in pressure sensors, and adjustable seats. Make sure that your safety lifts have pressure sensitive surfaces, which will help it stop at the required limit and prevent it from extending further up or down the staircase.

The lift must have a mandatory 24 Volt DC operation, which works on battery backup and prevents you from getting stuck midway, in case of power cuts. DC will also protect you from electric shocks, however this is a very unlikely possibility as these stair lifts are completely shock proof.

The braking system must be dual or controlling upwards and downwards motion, making it possible for you to control the speed of your lift.

Grab rails are a must and must be installed, for you to be able to hold on to arm rests while ascending or descending the staircase, while using the lift. These grab rails must be placed at the chair as well as at the base of the chair.

Will prevent you from falling backwards off the seat or falling forwards onto the staircase. These chairs come with sturdy back rest and offer a stable footrest, which helps people feel more secure while sitting on the chair.

It is of utmost importance that you never try to get off the chair while it is still in motion. This will put you at risk of falling off the chair and causing yourself injury by falling on the staircase.

There is nothing to fear as these stair lifts may seem odd initially but are meant to ensure your safety and not cause you harm. Wait for the lift to reach the top of the stairs or the bottom of the stairs. Let the lift come to a complete halt and only then may you get off the chair.

Always keep a wheelchair or other aiding devices ready at the top and the base of the staircase, in case you need further assistance. All these safety tips are usually mentioned in the instruction manual, therefore keep this manual at hand whenever you are in doubt.

If in case you notice a fault, immediately ask for repair services, if these are within the warranty period. Nonetheless, keeping the stair lift checked will help keep you safe at all times.