heh i suppose this subject can be debatable.
we all run into all sorts of various situations that cause issues like this varying from manufacturing flaws to operator abuse.
i guess my opinion was just one of many here.
But all in all everything that has been said can apply here.
Sure the operator uses the lift everyday and if he happens to notice something wrong he should report it... but in defense to what i said about the PM tech being the responsible party?
Well the driver of the lift is not a mechanic and most of the time he has no clue about these things, the PM tech is the trained person that is trained to recognise these problems and correct them at that time. Thats what i meant about that edward. :o)
As for how the operator drives the lift, sure it could be one of many reasons that would ultimately create the cause of the issue.

opinions are like... well we all know that analogy dont we ;o)