Schools Still Switch to DUC

Young children are inquisitive by nature and this can sometimes lead to accidents. Lifts can of course be played with and used as hiding places by children. The Moveman Designated User Control (DUC) option for its enclosed Companion Prestige model prevents children from playing in platform lifts.

When the system was first made available for schools, Moveman's customers simply wanted to prevent children from operating the lift, so a key switch was added to the standard unit. This cut off the power and prevented the lift from moving, but didn't prevent the child from getting into the lift and continuing to use it as a hiding place.

Landing doors are automatically locked when the carriage moves away from that landing. However, whenever a platform lift is stationery, the door on that landing will be unlocked, providing access. Where the lift is installed at a school, this means that children are able to get inside the lift.

To restrict access to the lift without putting additional locks on all the doors we modified the electronics on the Companion Prestige model. We programmed the unit's controller to make the lift isolate itself. In operation DUC works automatically: once the lift has not been used for a preset time, say sixty seconds, it moves away from the landing it was parked at and stops between floors. This activates all the automatic door interlocks, making the unit totally secure and prevents any of the doors being opened. To summon the lift you need a key as key locks are placed on all the external landing call stations. To call the lift, the user activates the key lock and summons the lift in the normal way.

Keys can then be distributed to authorised users, for example teachers. This way the responsible adult can control access to and use of their platform lift. As an additional safety measure the lift controls within the cab remain live at all times, just in case a user should delay whilst within the lift car. This is so they cannot get locked inside.

Since its introduction, the DUC system has proved extremely popular and is now a standard feature of Moveman's Companion Prestige lift, when installed in schools. The system is also available as an optional feature for installations in pubs, sports facilities and other businesses. It seems that the slight inconvenience it causes the wheelchair user is offset by the increased assurance it gives teachers, parents or people responsible for young children playing in the area.

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