RICON "S" & "K" 5500 WHEELCHAIR LIFTS

THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION RECEIVED ONE FLEET COMPLAINT IDENTIFYING 33 ALLEGED FAILURES ON THE SUBJECT WHEELCHAIR LIFTS. THE ALLEGED FAILURES OCCURRED ON SCHOOL BUSES IN TWO ALASKAN SCHOOL DISTRICTS. THE ALLEGATIONS DESCRIBED CRACKS DEVELOPING ON THE LIFTS' VERTICAL SUPPORT ARMS AT A PINNED JOINT WHERE A HORIZONTAL ARM INTERFACES WITH THE VERTICAL ARM. THE LIFTS ARE USED TO RAISE WHEELCHAIRS FROM THE STREET LEVEL TO ALLOW ENTRY INTO SCHOOL BUSES AND ALSO TO LOWER WHEELCHAIRS FROM THE SCHOOL BUS BACK TO GROUND LEVEL. WHEN THIS EA WAS OPENED, ODI WAS CONCERNED THAT THE BENT ARMS WOULD PRESENT TWO POSSIBLE SAFETY CONCERNS. FIRST, THE BENT ARMS MAY PREVENT AN INBOARD BRIDGE FROM LAYING FLAT AND THUS PREVENT A WHEEL CHAIR FROM BEING QUICKLY LOADED ON TO THE LIFT IN AN EMERGENCY. SECOND, THE BENT ARMS MAY DEFEAT AN INTERLOCK THAT PREVENTS THE LIFT FROM MOVING WHILE BEING LOADED AND POSSIBLY TIPPING OVER A WHEEL CHAIR BOUND PASSENGER. RICON HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE IS A DESIGN DEFICIENCY IN THE LIFTS THAT CAUSE THE VERTICAL ARMS TO BEND BUT FEELS THAT THE BENT ARMS DO NOT REPRESENT A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE THE OPERATOR WILL SEE THAT THE LIFT IS DAMAGED BEFORE A PASSENGER IS LOADED ONTO THE BUS. IF THE DRIVER SEES THAT THE LIFT IS DAMAGED, THEY SHOULD NOT LOAD A PASSENGER WHO WOULD THEN NEED TO BE UNLOADED IN AN EMERGENCY. AFTER CONDUCTING A TEST PROGRAM AND A SERIES OF LIFT INSPECTIONS, ODI AGREES WITH RICON THAT THE FAILURE OF THE VERTICAL ARMS ARE PROGRESSIVE AND NOTICEABLE IN THAT BOTH THE INBOARD AND THE OUTBOARD BARRIERS WILL NOT LIE FLAT. THESE BARRIERS PROGRESSIVELY MOVE FURTHER AND FURTHER FROM LYING FLAT AND REPRESENT A WARNING TO THE OPERATOR THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE LIFT AND IT SHOULD NOT BE USED. ODI IS NOT AWARE OF ANY INJURIES RELATED TO THE BENT VERTICAL ARMS. ODI HAS ALSO INTERVIEWED LIFT OPERATORS FROM MULTIPLE FLEETS AND FOUND THAT THERE HAS BEEN NO TROUBLE LOADING OR UNLOADING THE LIFTS. ALL OF THE FLEETS INTERVIEWED INDICATED THAT BE