Home 🛗 Emergency Lift Phones 🚨 Lift Phone Safety & Compliance Hub

🚨 Lift Phone Safety & Compliance Hub

Last updated on Feb 06, 2026

Your guide to Emergency Lift Phones, safety obligations, testing, and reliability

Overview

Emergency Lift Phones are a critical safety system designed to allow passengers to call for help if a lift becomes inoperable. This hub brings together everything you need to understand how Pickle’s Emergency Lift Phone service works, how to keep it operational, and what to do if there is an issue.

This article covers:

  • Safety purpose and responsibilities

  • Testing and compliance expectations

  • Power outages and reliability

  • Monitoring and alerts

  • LED status troubleshooting

  • When to escalate issues

What is an Emergency Lift Phone?

An Emergency Lift Phone is a dedicated communication device installed inside a lift car. It allows trapped passengers to make a direct call to a monitored service or response point.

Emergency Lift Phones are required in many buildings under Australian Standards and must remain operational at all times.

Safety and responsibility

While Pickle provides connectivity, monitoring, and support services:

  • Building owners and managers remain responsible for lift safety obligations

  • Regular testing and record-keeping are required

  • Pickle does not certify compliance or replace lift service providers or compliance professionals

This shared responsibility ensures lift phones are available when needed.

Monthly testing & compliance (AS 1735.19)

Emergency Lift Phones should be:

  • Tested at least once per month

  • Test results logged and retained

A standard test includes:

  1. Activating the lift phone

  2. Confirming the call connects successfully

  3. Verifying two-way audio quality

  4. Confirming the lift/location is identifiable

  5. Recording the outcome

If a test fails, action should be taken immediately.

ℹ️ Pickle may provide monitoring or alerting tools, but testing obligations remain external to Pickle’s service scope.

What happens if a lift phone fails a test?

If a test fails:

  • Check power to the device

  • Check cabling and antenna connections

  • Confirm signal availability

  • Perform a second test if safe to do so

If the issue persists, contact Pickle Support promptly.

If the lift phone cannot be restored, building management should follow internal safety escalation procedures.

Power outages & backup operation

Lift phone behaviour during a power outage depends on the installation:

  • Devices may continue operating if backup power is available

  • Devices will not function if both mains and backup power are unavailable

  • Connectivity may switch to LTE or failover paths if configured

After power is restored:

  1. Confirm the device powers back on

  2. Check LED status

  3. Perform a test call

If the phone does not recover automatically, contact Pickle Support.

Lift phone monitoring & alerts

Depending on the service configuration, Pickle monitoring may include alerts for:

  • Device offline

  • Failed monthly test

  • LTE failover activated

  • Power loss

  • Registration expiry

Monitoring helps identify issues early but does not replace manual testing.

LED status & quick troubleshooting

LED labels and colours may vary by model, but the meanings below apply across supported devices.

🟢 Solid Green

Status: Operating normally
Action: No action required

🟢 Flashing Green

Status: Starting up or registering
Action: Wait 2–5 minutes

🔴 Solid Red

Status: Hardware or registration fault
Action: Power-cycle device, check SIM/antenna, escalate if unresolved

🔴 Flashing Red

Status: Network or signal failure
Action: Check antenna placement and connections, escalate if unresolved

🟡 Amber / Yellow

Status: Limited or degraded connectivity
Action: Perform test call, monitor stability

Gen 2 vs Gen 3 device considerations

Pickle supports multiple generations of lift phone hardware:

Gen 2 devices

  • Single FXS port

  • Internal antenna

  • Suitable for single lift installations

Gen 3 devices

  • Two FXS ports

  • External SMA antenna (up to ~10 metres)

  • Improved performance in low-signal environments

Persistent faults on either generation should be escalated.

When to escalate immediately

Contact Pickle Support urgently if:

  • The lift phone cannot place a call

  • The device shows persistent fault LEDs

  • A monthly test fails and cannot be restored

  • The lift phone is known to be offline

If the issue is safety-critical, building management should also follow internal emergency procedures.

Need help?

If you’re unsure about the status of your lift phone or need assistance with testing or troubleshooting, Pickle Support is here to help.