Issue 6/2007


11/02/07

New European directives and Lift standards

Dr.-Ing. Gerhard Schiffner (STC Lift Consulting GmbH, 73760 Ostfildern)

The new Machinery Directive and the associated amendment of the Lifts Directive went into force at mid-2006. The modifications in responsibilities, procedures and technical product requirements have to be applied as of the end of 2009. The greatest consequence is that these changes provide future legal clarity in determining which lifts will be governed by the Lifts Directive and which fall within the purview of the Machinery Directive. When engineering lifts in accordance with the Machinery Directive, in particular, it will also be necessary to take account of some changes in organizational and technical aspects.
Category: Issue 6/2007
Posted by: Editor

As regards European standards for lifts, additional standards in the EN 81 series – covering simplified lifts for persons with impaired mobility, lifts for existing buildings and inclined lifts – are about to be completed, further rounding out this series of standards. Moreover, intensive work is going forward in regard to the revision of the basic EN 81-1 and EN 81-2 standards; residual risks not as yet covered and the changes in the state of the art are to be taken account of there. Over and above that, the effects of the new Machinery Directive and the amended Lifts Directive on national lift standardswill have to be examined and, where necessary, changes will have to be made in those standards.

European directives
The most important changes affecting lifts result from the adoption of the new Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC and from the changes in the Lifts Direct ive contained therein. The directive was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 9, 2006, and went into effect on June 29, 2006. The new Machinery Directive and the modified Lifts Directive have to be transposed into legislation in the Member States by June 29, 2008, and applied as from December 29, 2009.
The most important changes are listed in Table 1.
Due to formal reasons and possibly due to a few technical reasons, all the harmonized standards will have to be reviewed and reworked as necessary. The European Commission has given CEN a general mandate to do so. The required changes are also being reviewed by Technical Committee 10 and the steps necessary to rework the standard are being discussed. In view of the shortage of time – with less than three years through to application of the new Machinery Directive – speed is of the essence.
No provision is being made for a transitional period during which the old and new versions of the Machinery Directive can be used simultaneously. The technology in products can be converted in advance, however, in so far as this is required. Formal aspects such as the declaration of conformity and changed procedures in the conformity assessment, for instance, will have to be transitioned on the cut-off date. This can mean that a lift scheduled to be commissioned toward the end of 2009 or at the beginning of 2010 will have to be delivered with declarations of conformity complying with the old and the new Machinery Directives. The appropriate declaration will then have to be signed, depending on the exact date upon which the lift is commissioned.
Lifts Directive
The changes in the Lifts Directive resulting from the new Machinery Directive are listed in Table 1, above, in the notes on Article 24. No further changes in the Lifts Directive are expected at present. To clarify some ambiguous points and to achieve uniform application and interpretation, the Commission has recently published a handbook for the Lifts Directive. The draft version was prepared together with representatives of the Member States, of the notified bodies and of the lift industry participating; it was presented at the end of 2006. The Member States once again had an opportunity, through to the beginning of 2007, to submit their comments. These were taken into consideration by the Commission as appropriate and the final version was completed.
In the version draft from June 2007, the following items are to be emphasized in particular; these have in some cases been interpreted and implemented differently in Germany in the past:
1. Article 1(4)
It had previously been possible in Germany to approve lifts that were to be used initially as builders hoists in accordance with TRA 1100 (Technical Rules for Lifts). They were then converted and commissioned for the ultimate operating mode in accordance with the dictates of the Lifts Directive. The guideline now determines that such lifts have to be commissioned in accordance with the Lifts Directive from the very outset. This means that a risk assessment for this operating mode and for any deviations from EN 81 would be necessary. The later conversion for the final operating mode is then to be effected in accordance with national law.
2. Article 8(1)
The guideline says that an installer company that manufactures the safety components it uses has to issue a declaration of conformity for the same and that this declaration has to be enclosed to the technical documentation for the lift and to the operating instructions. In Germany this was not considered necessary since the safety component was not actually put on the open market and its conformity was covered by the declaration of conformity for the lift.
3. Annex I, 2.2
The comments on Item 2.2 require that, in the normal case, a permanent safety space will have to be provided wherever possible. An exception to this normal case is possible only in individual cases, with prior approval by the Member State. The procedure followed in Germany, wherein the approval procedure has not been implemented in national law, thus leaving the decision to the manufacturers and the notified bodies, has in the meantime been incorporated into the guideline as an option. What continues to be unclear, however, is who has to set down the criteria for the exceptional case.
4. Annex I, 4.4
Operating on the basis of the recommendations for use as set forth by the notified bodies, this passage now also requires that all the devices required for emergency rescue of persons be present in the system. Excluded here are only special devices required only in rare situations (e.g. failure of the suspension means and activation of the safeties).
5. Annex I, 5.1
Similar to the Machinery Directive, it is now required that the data plate show the manufacturer’s address and a model designation for the lift, this in addition to the usual information in the past.
6. Annex X
The requirements for unit verification mention that one must assume that the load testing mentioned in Annex VI is also to be carried out during the course of individual inspections.
The question touched upon in Item 4, covering the use of technical means to create temporary safety areas, was to have been examined a year ago, in the course of a study. This study has now finally been commissioned and is to be completed by the end of 2007. It remains to be seen whether this results in new and practicable suggestions for uniform implementation of Item 2.2 in Annex I throughout Europe.
European standards
Shown in Table 2 are all the European standards for lifts, both published and in preparation, with an indication of the status of the project and the probable time to their publication.
EN 81-1/2 Revision
The revision of EN 81-1/2 has commenced. At present all the suggestions and requests for changing the requirements that have collected since the last revision are being compiled in a list. The points to be examined and possibly reworked will be selected from that list. Time limitations make it impossible to take all the items into consideration. That is why the work will concentrate on the following essential items:
  • Items that no longer correspond to the state of the art (electrical requirements, for instance).
  • Items that exhibit safety deficits (such as uncontrolled car movements with the doors open).
  • Adopting items from EN 81-70 that are to be satisfied by every elevator (e.g. alignment accuracy at landings).
  • Clarification of ambiguous items.
The items to be reworked will be assembled into “work packets” during the fi rst half of 2007 and will then be transferred to ad hoc groups already in existence for review. These groups are to process these work packets on the basis of risk assessments and submit suggestions for new requirements by the end of 2007 or beginning of 2008. A task force will collate these suggestions to create a draft standard; it is to be available by the end of 2008. In view of the scope of the reworking and the usual delays, the query procedure can be expected to take place in 2009 or so.
In parallel to the work in the ad hoc groups, a comprehensive risk assessment is to be prepared for the major scenarios by the beginning of 2008. The detailed risk assessments of the ad hoc groups can be added to under these main scenarios. Where items are not to be reworked, then this rough risk assessment will suffice for the time being. Only when these items, too, are to be rethought or reworked are detailed risk assessments to be carried out here, too.
Both parts, 1 and 2, of EN 81 are to migrate into parts 20 and 50 during the course of revisions, wherein Part 20 will contain the technical requirements for all drive systems and the requirements for documentation and approval testing. Summarized in Part 50 are all the procedures for verifying that requirements have been met, such as type examinations, calculations and other verification procedures. These procedures can then also be used for other lifts by making reference to the same.
CEN/TR 81-10
The CEN/TR 81-10 technical report requires revision for the following reasons:
  • The parts 11, 13, 52, 60, 61 and 62 originally planned, which were to have been separated out into independent sections of the standard during the reworking of EN 81-1/2, will now remain in the technical requirements in the new Part 20.
  • The builders hoists retain their previous range of numbers and will not be integrated into the EN 81 series.
  • The parts 19, 29, ..., intended for interpretations, will be summarized in Part 11, which is to contain the interpretations for all parts of EN 81.
The revision of this part is to be completed by the end of 2007.
prEN 81-21: New passenger and freight lifts for existing buildings
The scope and the solutions contained in the standard were reported on at the most recent Heilbronn Lift Conference. Since that time the requirements have been further refined. Additional requirements for friction-based devices used to secure refuge spaces were adopted. These comprise, among other items, a type examination in which the functionality and reliability of these devices have to be demonstrated by practical tests and worst-case analyses.
Aside from additional demands also imposed on other safety equipment, the following requirements are being placed on these devices in particular:
  • The stopping gear has to be mounted on the car and act on the rails.
  • The stopping gear shall be tripped by a mechanical connection, by way of a mechanical preliminary triggering device.
  • The stopping gear shall always remain in the activated status, above the trigger point.
  • After partial triggering due to dynamic effects or emergency rescue, the stopping gear shall immediately retract once again without reducing the size of the safety space.
  • Functioning may not be degraded by the ingress of foreign objects, dirt or corrosion.
  • The pre-triggered stopping system must be capable of stopping the car from all velocities between 0 and the tripping speed for the upward emergency brake.
  • Maximum deceleration may not exceed 1 g in the worst case. This is to be demonstrated by practical trials and worst-case analyses.
  • Six triggering trials shall be carried out at maximum speed and load, at the same location along the rails, in order to determine the effects of tolerances and wear.
  • The maximum braking path in the event of a malfunction shall be determined on the base of the worst-case analyses; the trigger point will thus be determined.
prEN 81-41: Vertical lifting platforms for persons with impaired mobility
prEN 81-41 was approved for formal vote at the TC 10 general assembly end of 2006. Germany and three other countries voted against this standard due to reservations about the safety level. From the German point of view, there is need for improvement in regard to the following items:
  • The title and scope indicate that these platform lifts are intended for persons with restricted mobility. There are however no requirements that use by other persons, including children, be restricted. It is for this reason that these lifts should be used only in the domestic setting or with a key-operated switch.
  • The platform can be moved with the outside controls. As a result, persons traveling on the platform could be endangered. The outside controls should be disabled whenever anyone is on the platform.
  • All the hoistway doors shall be fitted with emergency unlocking devices. The platform does not have a platform apron, however, meaning that there is a hazard of slipping into the well during emergency rescue.
  • Motor-driven hoistway doors may develop no more than 150 N of closing power and 10 J of kinetic energy. This is too much for elderly and disabled persons and could result in injuries.
In the upcoming formal vote procedure Germany probably reject the standard and launch further steps if necessary.
prCEN/TR 81-76: Use of lifts for evacuation of disabled persons in emergency
This technical report proposes a concept for evacuating persons with reduced mobility in the event of a fire. The concept is to serve as a guideline so as to be able to plan and build the first lifts within a short period of time. Over the long term, the concept is to be further refined in collaboration with fire experts and building planners and ultimately incorporated into a European standard.
The concept provides for operation exclusively by trained personnel during evacuation operations. The evacuation mode is to be available only to persons with reduced mobility, for a limited period of time, until the firefighters arrive. Nondisabled persons are to use the normal escape routes.
An evacuation lift has to satisfy the following requirements:
  • The lift has to comply with parts 70, 72 and 73 of EN 81.
  • It has to be fitted with additional signs and displays identifying it as an evacuation lift and indicating that it is in the evacuation mode.
  • A priority switch and through bypass button have to be installed in the car.
  • An intercom system has to provide voice communications between the car and the egress level during evacuation operations. This may be an intercom system as per EN 81-72.
The lift has to behave as follows:
  • An audible emergency signal shall be sounded in the building whenever an emergency situation is recognized either by building management or an automatic fire alarm system.
  • The lift receives a signal and conducts an evacuation trip as described in EN 81-73.
  • The displays for the lift indicate that it is running in the evacuation mode.
  • A trained individual uses the priority switch to change over to evacuation mode.
  • The lift is operated in the same way as a firefighters lift.
  • The outside controls are disabled. The trained operator is thus dependent on information provided by building management or other emergency responders to find out where there are persons who have to be evacuated.
  • In an alternate version the lift can be used by instructed users using the normal inside and outside controls. Here, however, only calls in the downward direction will be accepted.
  • The through bypass button is used to keep the lift from stopping when it is carrying a wheelchair and there is no room for additional passengers.
  • After firefighters arrive they take over responsibility for the evacuation lift.
prCEN/TS 81-82: Improving accessibility of existing lifts 
EN 81-80 sets forth the requirements for lifts accessibility for disabled persons only in a general fashion, without giving any detailed information. That is why a supplementary guideline for selection and implementation of measures to improve accessibility is being prepared in technical specification prCEN/TS 81-82.
Discussed there are all the items from EN 81-70, but also additional items such as existing hinged doors which might be present in existing lifts. For these special versions of existing lifts, not provided for in EN 81-70, the standard provides advice on improving accessibility.
The items included in EN 81-70 are assigned to the various types of disabilities and their effectiveness for the disabled are evaluated. Thus, regardless of the types of disabilities that might be anticipated in a building, the measures are selected by priorities and implemented step by step. A checklist makes it possible, similar to the situation under EN 81-80, to assess an existing lift and propose potential solutions.
Summary
The new Machinery Directive and the associated changes in the Lifts Directive bring about clarity in the borderline of the two documents. They also bring about changes in the procedures and technical requirements and these have to be taken into account in lift standards. It is for this reason that all the standards in the EN 81 series will have to be reviewed and amended where indicated.
Other standards to be adopted in the near future, covering lifts for persons with impaired mobility, evacuation lifts, inclined lifts, etc., will round out the EN 81 series. One focal point in standardization work in coming years will be the revision of Parts 1 and 2 of EN 81 and their transition into the new parts 20 and 50. It may be expected that these revisions will include fundamental changes in and additions to today’s requirements and will thus redefine the state of the art.
Lecture on the occasion of the 2007 Heilbronn Lift Conference, organized by the Heilbronn Technical Academy and updated in May 2007

 

6/2007

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