The next directive (2014/33/EU) will come into force in April 2016. It will require lifts installed from that time on to comply with a series of requirements that will affect their levelling (the gap between them and the floor when they stop), the blocking of automatic doors and the availability of a tele-assistance service in case the lift gets stuck between two levels. The new directive represents a great advance with regard to the monitoring and responsibility for the product placed on the market, guaranteeing that only safe lifts remain operational within the European Union.
Elevator safety improvements
Last Tuesday, the Association of Elevator Entrepreneurs of Aragon (AEAA) together with the Spanish Business Federation of Elevators (FEEDA) held a conference in Zaragoza in which several issues of the sector related to the new directive were addressed. The meeting focused on the improvements in security and corporate responsibility.
Ramón Frauca, president of the Legislation and Regulations Commission of the (FEEDA), stressed the importance of safety and underlined that “ elevators will be even safer thanks to the improvements introduced by the technical standards”. The aim of these is “to eliminate or minimise the risk of possible accidents associated with the normal use, maintenance and emergency manoeuvres of elevators ”.
What improvements to make to the elevator
For his part, Iñaki Aranburu, FEEDA delegate, insisted on the need to incorporate protection devices against automatic door closing , remote alarm systems that allow telephone contact with the service centre in the event of an emergency and mechanisms that prevent the lift from moving with the door open . They must also have " precision stopping systems so that the lift is always at ground level and drives that , together with efficient lighting, reduce energy consumption ."
The president of the organization, Antonio García, assured that although the European directive will not have an immediate effect on older elevators, "it is foreseeable that the standard will be adapted in the medium term in Spain by means of a Royal Decree, as already occurred with the previous community legislation," so they will have to be renewed - and in some cases changed in a comprehensive manner - to reach the safety standards established by the European Union.
Old elevators
Approximately two thirds of the lifts installed in Spain are more than 30 years old, so it is more than likely that they will need to carry out works over the next few years to incorporate some type of improvement to ensure that all lifts have the highest possible level of safety .
More information:
