In the UK, lift emergency phones are governed by BS EN 81-28. It requires every passenger and goods passenger lift to have a two-way communication system that can connect a trapped person to a 24/7 rescue service, backed up by battery power and automatic test calls at least every 72 hours.
If you own or manage a building with a lift, this is one of the safety duties that matters most, because it’s the system a trapped passenger relies on when something goes wrong. This guide explains exactly what the regulations require, how they link to LOLER, and why the 2027 PSTN switch-off makes getting this right more urgent than ever.
What Is BS EN 81-28?
BS EN 81-28 is the British and European standard covering remote alarm systems in passenger and goods passenger lifts. In plain terms, it’s the rulebook for how a lift calls for help when someone is trapped. The current version is BS EN 81-28:2022, and it sits alongside the wider BS EN 81 series that governs lift construction and safety.
The standard exists because being stuck in a lift is not just inconvenient, it can be frightening and, for someone with a health condition, genuinely dangerous. So the rules are built around one simple idea: if you press the alarm, you should be able to reach a real person who can arrange help, every time, day or night.
What Do the Regulations Actually Require?
BS EN 81-28 sets out a handful of clear requirements for a compliant lift emergency phone:
- Two-way voice communication. A trapped passenger must be able to talk to, and hear, a rescue service. A one-way alarm bell is not enough.
- A 24/7 connection to a rescue service. The system has to connect to someone who can respond at any hour, every day of the year, and it should establish that connection quickly (generally within around 30 seconds).
- Automatic test calls at least every 72 hours. The system must call in on its own at regular intervals to prove it’s still working. If those test calls stop getting through, that’s your early warning that the phone would fail in a real emergency.
- Battery backup. The emergency phone has to keep working during a power cut, so it needs its own dedicated battery supply.
- Clear identification. The system should let the rescue service know which lift and which building the call is coming from.
That 72-hour test call requirement is easy to overlook but really important. A lift phone can look fine and still be silently failing its test calls, which means nobody finds out it’s broken until the day someone actually needs it.
How EN 81-28 Fits with LOLER and Other Duties
BS EN 81-28 doesn’t sit on its own. It works alongside the other legal duties that apply to anyone responsible for a lift:
- LOLER 1998 (the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations) requires lifts to be maintained in a safe condition and thoroughly examined at regular intervals. A working emergency phone is part of that safe condition.
- The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty on employers and building operators to keep people safe, which includes anyone using the lift.
- The Building Safety Act 2022 adds further duties for higher-risk buildings, including specific requirements around fire and evacuation lifts.
The short version: a reliable emergency phone isn’t just good practice, it’s woven through several overlapping legal duties. Fall short on it and you’re potentially non-compliant on more than one front.
Why the 2027 PSTN Switch-Off Changes Everything
Here’s the part that makes all of this urgent right now. Many lift emergency phones still rely on an old analogue phone line (the PSTN) to make their calls. That network is being switched off, with the changeover set to complete by 31 January 2027, and a stop-sell on new analogue lines already in place.
The catch is that the switch-off is happening in stages, region by region. Some areas have already lost their PSTN service, which means some lift phones are at risk today, not in 2027. And because a lift on an analogue line can’t meet the “always available” and “72-hour test call” requirements once that line goes dead, it becomes non-compliant with BS EN 81-28 the moment the line is switched off. There’s no grace period.
The fix is to move away from the analogue line, usually to a modern digital emergency phone using a mobile (4G or 5G) connection, or in some cases VoIP. We cover the connectivity options, including why a multi-network SIM matters, in our dedicated guide which you can read here.
How to Make Sure Your Lift Is Compliant
- Audit your lifts. Find out which lifts still use an analogue line, even as a backup. This is the single most important step before the switch-off.
- Check the test calls are working. Confirm the system is placing and logging its 72-hour test calls successfully.
- Confirm battery backup. Make sure the emergency phone has working battery backup that meets the standard.
- Upgrade PSTN-dependent lifts. Move any analogue-line lifts to a compliant digital solution, ideally well before the 2027 deadline to avoid the rush.
- Keep records. Hold evidence of testing and maintenance, which supports both LOLER and Building Safety Act duties.
Deltron Lifts can audit your lift emergency communications, confirm what’s compliant, and upgrade anything that isn’t, so you can be confident the phone will work when it’s needed most.
Frequently Asked Questions
What regulations cover lift emergency phones in the UK?
The main standard is BS EN 81-28, which sets out the requirements for lift emergency communication. It works alongside LOLER 1998, the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and, for higher-risk buildings, the Building Safety Act 2022.
What does BS EN 81-28 require?
It requires two-way voice communication between the lift and a 24/7 rescue service, automatic test calls at least every 72 hours, and battery backup so the phone keeps working during a power cut.
How often must a lift emergency phone be tested?
BS EN 81-28 requires an automatic test call at least every 72 hours to confirm the system is working. These calls should be logged so any failure is spotted quickly.
Will the PSTN switch-off affect my lift emergency phone?
Yes, if your lift phone uses an analogue line. Once the PSTN is switched off in your area (completing by 31 January 2027, but happening in stages before then), an analogue-line lift phone will stop being able to call for help and will no longer meet BS EN 81-28.
What happens if my lift emergency phone isn’t compliant?
A non-compliant emergency phone can lead to the lift being taken out of service, and it can expose the building owner to enforcement action and liability. More importantly, it puts trapped passengers at risk.
