Capacity of lifts not kept up with UK obesity levels, study shows | Obesity
Lifts are no longer big enough to fit Britain’s larger citizens, researchers say.
A study into maximum capacity in lifts in the UK and mainland Europe has found lifts are failing to keep pace with rising obesity levels, raising concerns about safety and equality.
presented in the research European Obesity Congress Photographs of the weight limits of 112 elevators produced in Istanbul, Türkiye, in England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Austria and Finland between 1972 and 2024 were used.
Prof. D., president and chief executive of the International Prader-Willi Syndrome Organization and lead author of the study. Nick Finer compared the average maximum weight allowance (total weight allowance divided by maximum passenger limits) to the average adult weight in the year the elevator was manufactured.
The research found that although adults’ weight continues to rise, total lifting limits have not increased since 2004. In the mid-1970s, the average British man weighed 75kg and a woman 65kg, but this weight has increased to 86kg and 73kg respectively.
Maximum permits increased from approximately 62 kg per person in 1972 to 75 kg in 2002; This is largely in line with the average body weight increases during this period. However, most lift manufacturers assumed that the average weight remained at 75 kg, which is 4 kg lighter than the average adult.
“Apparently manufacturers calculate the amount of space you take up on the floor. [rather than weight]”said Finer. “But they assume a person’s shape is oval rather than circle. “They didn’t realize that if obesity is increasing, the amount of space you cover is also increasing.”
Finer said elevators that are too small lead to potential safety problems with designs based on “imperfect calculations.” “If you can only fit half as many people in the elevator you design, the ability to move people quickly to floors is affected.”
For example, elevators may be disabled if passengers exceed the total weight limits. “But perhaps even more important than that is the stigma. [people with obesity] “It can be encountered as a form of everyday weight discrimination when getting into the elevator.”
Finer added that “unfortunately, we need a lot of things in life to be taken to extremes” to be appropriate and safe for people living with obesity, otherwise they would be ostracized from society. “If we don’t recognize the increasing trends in obesity and body size, then we’re making it really difficult for these people to function in our society.”
Responding to the research’s findings, British Obesity Society chief executive Jane DeVille-Almond said: “We need to accept that society is unlikely to return to the size of 50 years ago and start developing facilities for the 21st century.”
Louise Payne, a registered nutritionist, said: “It’s clear that public spaces are not always designed with larger bodies in mind. It’s not just a matter of comfort, it’s also about dignity, accessibility and inclusion.
“No one should feel embarrassed, unsafe or excluded when using public transport or accessing daily services.”
