Elevator

:This article is about the transport device. For other meanings of the word, see Elevator (disambiguation).

Standards

The mechanical, electrical and operational design of elevators are dictated according to various standards (aka elevator codes), which may typically be international, national, state, regional or city based. Where once many standards were prescriptive, specifying exact criteria which must be complied with, there has been a shift towards more performance-based standards where the onus falls on the designer to ensure that the elevator meets or exceeds the standard.

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Some of the national elevator standards include:

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• USA - ASME A17
• Canada - CAN/CSA B44
• Europe - EN81
• Australia - AS1735

Because an elevator is part of a building, it must also comply with standards relating to earthquake resilience, fire standards, electrical wiring rules and so forth.

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Additional requirements relating to access by disabled persons, may be mandated by laws or regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act

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US and Canadian elevator standard specifics

Passenger elevators are required to conform to the American Society of Mechanical Engineer's Standard A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators in most US and Canadian Jurisdictions (In Canada the document is the CAN/CSA B44 Safety Standard which was harmonized with the US version in the 2000 edition.) In additon passenger elevators may be required to conform to the requirements of A17.3 for existing elevators where referenced by the Local Jurisdiction. Passenger elevators are tested using the ASME A17.2 Standard. The frequency of these tests is mandated by the Local Jurisdiction, which may be a town, city, or state standard.

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Passenger elevators must also conform to many ancilliary building codes including the Local or State building code, National Fire Protection Association standards for Electrical, Fire Sprinklers and Fire Alarms, Plumbing codes, and HVAC codes. In addition passenger elevators are required to conform to the American's with Disabilities Act and other State and Federal civil rights legislation regarding accessibility.

Related Topics:
National Fire Protection Association - HVAC

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Residential elevators are required to conform to ASME A17.1

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Platform and Wheelchair lifts are required to comply with ASME A18.1 in most US Jurisdictions.

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