Lift doors

[bigmamma]

Hi , can anyone tell me how long lift doors are supposed to stay open when people are getting in or out ? Today my elderly stepfather and I were taking a shop lift up to the cafe , we let a mum with a pushchair in and as we got in the doors suddenly came very fast to close on my father , knocking him off his feet and into the lift wall . It wasn't going to stop until the mum pressed the "door open " button. Bless him , he laughed it off but must have been shaken . Surely the doors should stay open long enough to board ?

[cruella]

Hi bigmamma
No idea how long they are supposed to stay open but I find that happens all the time when I take a lift. It is downright dangerous. They seems to stay open for only seconds.
Hope your Stepdad was not too shaken by what happened today.

[ir miss odd]

arent they like meant to have sense on them so they stay open for a couple of seconds after everyones in, so it is a lot safer.

[dipee65]

The closing of the lift doors is normally set on a delay timer up in the control box in the lift motor room. The time should be set depending on the capacity of the lift, and the average number of passengers entering or leaving.
It should be a simple job for the lift engineer to extend the delay time. I would consider having a word with the store manager.

[Peter Pedant]

God it nearly happened
I used to have nightmares about being cut in half by lift doors
oh and falling through the grid slats of drains
oh and in 1958 my mum and dad shepherded the four of us onto a tube and the door closed whisking us off and leaving them looking thunderstruck on the platform!

Sorry about your Dad. You didnt have to stick the the old boy together again did you ?

[bigmamma]

Cruella, thankyou I think he is ok , it was only his walking stick that kept him from ending up on the floor .:-)
Ir miss odd , I know what you mean , a sensor that keeps the door open in its path , the hospital ones here are really good and never trap anyone. :-)
Dipee , a good point , I didn't know that , I will ask the store manager on monday. :-)
Peter Pendant , that must have been scary for both you and your parents. :-0
xx

[bigmamma]

Update......I got in touch with management and got a nice apology plus a lift engineer or someone who checked the lifts in that store and altered the timing of the doors . We were in there since and now the doors take a good proper time period to close and are not likely to trap people any more :-)
Probably like what you mentioned dipee :-)