Lift broken at work

So the disabled staff would have to send home on full pay I guess.

The manager has said the part is ordered. Yes he will complain it is expensive but that really does not mean he has not put the order through. It is disrespectful to doubt the manager without evidence.
I have never heard of a fit healthy person having a hear attack through climbing stairs, although you may know differently. As it is causing you symptoms of a heart attack you must see your gp, if you heart is weak you can have an attack doing no activity don’t risk waiting if you are unwell if is your responsibility to do something about your health..
If other people have not complained then they may actually be finding the exercise beneficial to their health. As you have told your manager you are not doing it leave it to the others to complain if they do wish. Don’t be the person who is seen to be moaning if you don’t have to do it.
There are a number of hotels who leave the guests the duvet in a cover, pillow in a pillow case and sheet on the bed to make up their own bed. If the linen was in a bag and guests are young eg students, school children or asylum seekers they would most likely not mind carrying their own linen up. As an older lady I would say no issue and do it. Perhaps a solution for at least some rooms?

Which is completely different legally than a workplace that has a lift that needs repair.

However, it's been around six months for parts since at least 2014 when I first experienced the way that lift maintenance companies take a ton of money for a contract but then don't or can't supply parts when they stop working. The only thing that seemed to magically make parts appear was somebody getting trapped in it and a threat of 'either you come out now and sort this or we call the Fire Brigade', as doors opening without a lift being present just got them in to lock the doors and stick a cone up - or pointing out that the maintenance contract was due for renewal.

I therefore don't think Brexit has anything to do with it, as the wait times were identical beforehand.

Our toilets broke last week. Totally unusable due to an unexpected blockage outside of our control.

We had them fixed as soon as was possible, but we don't have an on site drain unblocking company to hand at all times just in case the toilets break.

Sometimes shit (quite literally in our case!) just happens. It can't be predicted and it can't always be prevented and you can only react to the circumstances at the time.

Even if you get your car serviced regularly and keep it maintained well, sometimes something will just go wrong with them, no matter how well prepared you are. We wouldn't need breakdown recovery services otherwise.

If OP's boss is deliberately dragging his feet then that's totally unacceptable obviously. He does need to be considering other options (such as the stair climber I previously posted) to help, but ultimately he can't just close the company down while the lift is broken, so sometimes shit happens.

Not saying it to be difficult, but if one of my employees became disabled or we recruited a disabled person we wouldn't be able to employ them to work in the office. The building has no lift, has no ability to install one and we don't own it.

There's no way in our situation a lift would be a legal requirement.

(there are other alternatives such as remote working of course, but office based is impossible).

It sounds like a lot of stairs to me, especially carrying heavy loads.
I'm not sure there's much you can do though. Ask for a risk assessment or all go off sick with bad backs, which if you haven't got yet you probably will have soon

Yes. If the company is public facing or has disabled employees, then a broken lift is not acceptable as access for the disabled is a legal requirement.

@Postre

You're very argumentative about it being a lot of stairs for the average person. You mean it is for you, since others are telling you it's not.

Well, the OP is the one who has to climb the stairs carrying linen, not other posters who wouldn’t have a problem with it.

Thank you for that input but I was merely suggesting what type of establishment it was.

Don't really understand your comment about the OP making it all about them when they have made numerous comnents that they are concerned about other colleagues, but do agree with you that they haven't come across in their posts that they are taking any advice given, onboard.

Genuine question. Is there a situation where a lift is a legal requirement?

Well then a company where a lift is essential and possibly legally required clearly needs to find some other way of stopping stuff like this happening.

Ah, but OP is being coy about the type of organisation, comparing the manager unfavourably with the manager of a partner property, bigging herself up for ‘helping’, but not taking on practical information from posters about actually helping her overburdened colleagues to resolve the situation.

I have sympathy for those staff members who are under the cosh but I feel OP is making it more about her, especially about her feelings for those people instead of trying to help them get the situation sorted.

More like a hostal that can have many beds per room on each floor, hence incurring huge amounts of bed linen.

It’s a problem

whining about lack of spare parts and demanding instant lift back is pointless bordering on stupid

you need to solve the interim problem - u less you think the hotel should just shut down till it’s resolved ?

If the lift reaches the end of its life and needs replacing and you haven't used all the spare parts then you've just thrown thousands of pounds of money down the drain.

And if you do need to use the part, if you've had it a while you might find the spec has changed and it no longer meets the latest safety standards.

I agree with you on nearly all of this other than the keeping lift parts in stock. Lifts are expensive, complex pieces of engineering. You don't go keeping a spare £10,000 motor hanging around "just in case". If the lift reaches the end of its life and needs replacing and you haven't used all the spare parts then you've just thrown thousands of pounds of money down the drain.

Sounds like a nightmare! I'd echo others and say this definitely needs to be taken to a union. Get some representation behind you.
As it's a privately owned company I'm guessing there's no occupational health service, but all employers have a legal responsibility to ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of their employees. People are struggling. This wasnt what they signed up for and for someone with mobility issues who took the job in the understanding they would be using a lift, this could have a significant impact on both their physical and mental health. Which is something a union rep can address.
I really hope you can get this resolved.

Just a thought, have any of you got asthma that walking up all these stairs in this heat could affect? Or any of you disabled or have bad backs?

Some people on here are being right cunts.

It is not unreasonable for employees who have to carry a lot of heavy stuff repeatedly to expect there to be a lift. It's also not unreasonable for a business where a lift is essential to keep lift parts in stock. The employer has failed on at least these two counts.

How many times a week people go to the gym, how old they are, how many flights of steps they gladly skip up and down a day etc are all completely irrelevant here.

Do none of your colleagues have disabilities which render using the stairs either difficult, dangerous or impossible? Also, if you work in an establishment like a hotel this would mean that disabled guests might be unable to stay there, unless you had rooms with level access. I assume your boss is fine with potentially excluding disabled people from the building if it means not shelling out to fix a vital tool for accessibility, even though it doesn't sound like the cost will be coming out of his pocket. This is added to the fact that he seems to think it's accessible to expect employees to carry heavy loads up and down stairs multiple times a day in this heat too. I have no idea what his problem is, but I assume he isn't offering to assist with the heavy lifting himself!

Why are some people trying to shame the OP by saying it’s not a lot of stairs for an average person. Well 4 flights is a lot more than most people would choose to walk. 1-2 floors i’d walk it, 4 I would get the lift. If carrying heavy linen for example, it would get much harder. Sounds like OP is up and down the stairs a lot, so it’s no wonder it’s so tiring. I think most people would find it a struggle going up and down throughout the day. Ask the manager for a timeframe, and let him know people are struggling. Just incase he is stalling.

This thread shows the importance of trade unions - all workers need to join and support one.

I do a awful lot of physical hard work and lifting heavy iteams as part ofy job ( 30,000 steps and 8 flights of stairs pulling 500kg, but we do not carry iteams up and downstairs because of health and safety, this would need a revised risk assessment, on the plus side it does get easier as you get fitter.

I’d have no issue with manual heavy lifting in my job provided the proper risk assessments and safe methods of work were put in place, which it doesn’t sound like your employer has done.

Many posters have suggested this to you as a solution ie talk to your employer, insist they do this.

Instead you seem intent on simply refusing without any attempt at reaching a sensible short term compromise.

and yes going on about people complaining their hearts are racing, they’re going to pass out, people suffering in terrible conditions IS dramatic language.

Sorry if I missed some of the replies, so this may be a repeat of previous posts - Does your employer actually own the building, or is it owned by a 'service' type company that the employer rents from? Are you in a Union, or do your have H & S reps who can look into the legalities of this (as in, not everyone is able to do multiple journeys up & down several floors - and no - it isn't necessarily going to 'make you fitter' - it could badly exasperate many health conditions). I do agree though, that some 'parts' required to fix a lift need to be ordered from overseas & can take ages (in my companies case, years) to fix. Although, we don't have to lug equipment etc. Hope it gets sorted out before too long. x