An initial on-site safety assessment must be carried out at the  site by a qualified person prior to commencing any work on the lift/escalator. This person can be an occupational safety expert or an engineer/supervisor with sufficient experience in occupational safety and health at elevators and escalators.

Safety assessment criteria at the construction site

To ensure occupational safety at the construction site, the following factors should be assessed and recorded:

– Means for entering and exiting the workplace safely. For example, safe entrance/exit from machine room and elevator shaft, etc.

– Rescue measures and evacuation arrangements in case of fire, explosion, accident or other emergency situations, etc. occur in any part of the building during the working process.

– Elevator/escalator construction and type, control system, type of work to be performed and other relevant information.

– Situations where it is necessary to assign people to work directly on active electrical equipment. If it is unavoidable, safety precautions should be taken for the job.

– All hazardous parts of machinery must be effectively barricaded. It is necessary to clearly describe the process of removing machine guards during work and re-installing such guards after completion of work.

– Communication devices of employees during work. Also, the keywords/signals used in the communication should be clearly stated.

– Arrangement and safe manual operation procedures during work.

For elevator works, it is also necessary to identify and record the following factors:

– It is necessary to determine for sure the gaps/safe spaces under the cabin in the shaft pit and the safe space above the cabin when moving to ensure compliance with regulations.

– The control unit above the car must operate normally. In particular, the effectiveness of the emergency stop switch and manual mode switch should be checked.

– The safety devices of electric lifts or hydraulic valves in hydraulic lifts must be tested for effectiveness if working personnel are required to stand or move on the roof of the car.

– The roof of the cabin must have enough capacity to bear the expected load such as personnel and hand tools, etc.

– The working conditions in the engine room, the pulley room (if any) and the shaft/pit must be assessed. Sufficient workspace should be provided for employees, especially when working with any electrical equipment where the electrical conductors may be exposed during work. Environmental factors including temperature, ventilation, lighting, etc. inside the cabin and the shaft/pit must be suitable for various working stages, such as welding and cutting.

– Safe, easy passages and access routes with sufficient clearance to machinery spaces should be provided.

– Surrounding and supporting structures must be solid and free from defects.

– Handrails, steps, escalator comb, gear must be in a stable state, in addition, the brake system, manual control unit and emergency stop switch must also work properly.

– Protection measures against the risk of speeding and unintentional reversing should be tested for effectiveness.

After the site safety assessment has been performed, a method report should be provided, including the following:

– Specify how the work is done and the number of workers involved in performing the work (including workers of subcontractors).

– List the necessary equipment expected to be used to perform the job including lifting devices and mechanical handling lifts, and should identify and provide available equipment arrangements at the appropriate time.

– Identify and provide the quantity and location of safety fences, portable ladders, personal protective equipment such as safety boots, helmets, goggles, safety gloves, safety belts/belts , safety anchors, accessories for seat belts/belts, stand-alone lifelines, etc.

– Identify and document the time and duration to do the work.

It is very important to list and evaluate in detail the criteria related to the project to ensure a safe implementation plan.

– It is necessary to clearly define the number of stakeholders and the corresponding working time on the same elevator/escalator installation.

– Emergency response procedures and facilities, including first aid, must be available to respond to an emergency situation on site.

– The health and safety management system to control the safety performance of subcontractors, if any, must be effective and efficient. The “Guide to Construction Safety Management” issued by the Ministry of Labor can be consulted for more examples of a health and safety management system.

– The application of any relevant safety regulations should be identified and documented. It is necessary to check compliance with such regulations.

Frequency of assessment: Periodic reassessment of site conditions should be carried out. The appropriate frequency to conduct this assessment is largely determined by the person conducting the initial assessment. In general, the following factors should be considered in determining frequency: the nature of the task, the possibility of personnel changes, equipment, and the location of the work.

The re-evaluation cycle should be specified and recorded during the initial audit and any changes, if any, should be recorded. In addition, after the reassessment, any changes from the original safety assessment should be recorded.

Some special notes:

– Regarding construction materials: Owners or contractors also need to pay attention to the use of materials containing special substances prescribed in relation to occupational safety, if used, it is necessary to perform the following measures: safety measures in accordance with regulations.

– Regarding the special working environment: When performing work in some work sites, separate regulations and working methods must be followed, such as power stations, gas stations, marine facilities, container terminals and chemical manufacturing facilities, additional safety requirements or permits for the system to work may be required by agreement with site management.

The safety of workers engaged in other activities in the work area should also be considered in the site safety assessment.

Read more about Occupational Safety at:

– Part 2: Safety instructions when working on elevators

– Part 3: Guidelines for safe working with elevators/escalators at some specific stages

References: The above contents are compiled from documents regulating occupational safety in the Construction Law (additional 2020), the Occupational Safety Code (2019) and Directive EN 80-81 .