Guest article: What OTs need to know about the latest UK stairlift regulations

With new regulations that came into force in April 2023 for the UK stairlift industry, BS EN 81-40:2020, Rick Bennett, Northern European Business Manager for stairlift supplier Access BDD, explains what they mean for the sector and what occupational therapists (OTs) should be aware of.

What are the main changes that OTs should be aware of with the new regulations?

“Within the new regulations there are four main features, which every new straight and curved stairlift must have. These are:

• Interlocking arms
• Separate emergency stop button
• Seatbelt detection system
• Two-way voice communication device”

What impact do you think the new regulations will have on users?

“Time will tell. For users there may be some cost implications, but these of course are balanced by a greater level of reassurance on the safety of stairlifts.

“For some there has been some confusion on how to correctly interpret the regulations, but I am confident this will become clear in time. The regulations were designed with the users’ safety and wellbeing in mind, so the impact has got to be positive.”

What impact has the new regulations had on Access BDD?

“For us as a supplier the most important impact has been on the accelerated development of our products. All our products are now fully compliant with the new regulations.

“As a company we are strongly focused on being a market leader in both technology and safety, so we were already very aligned in our strategy to comply with the requirements of the regulations.

“We have retrained our technical and sales staff to ensure they understand the new regulations and how they affect our products. We see the new regulations very positively. We are all about improving safety, so we have welcomed them.”

How do you think the new regulations will affect the stairlift industry in general?

“I sincerely hope that everyone will take the regulations seriously; we at Access certainly have. I think it would be very unfortunate if others try to circumvent the guidelines because at the end of the day, they are there for safety reasons.”

Is there anything you feel could have been added to the new regulations?

“We have often thought about the need for some kind of qualification or method of assessment for people who are selling stairlifts, to ensure they correctly assess the end user and situation, so the best solution is provided with the safety and comfort of the end user in mind.  Whether the best place for this is in EN 81-40 is open to debate, but I think it’s an area that deserves more attention.”

Do you think some manufacturers will try to get round the new legislation?

“Hopefully not, but it’s a possibility, and we will find out in the fullness of time. We certainly won’t do this. We respect the legislation, and it is in line with our ethos of safety above all else.”