Safe practice in elevator/escalator installation and dismantling

Elevator/escalator installation and dismantling involves many of the same activities as the construction industry. The following are activities specific to the elevator/escalator industry:

– The installation, overhaul, maintenance, repair or dismantling of elevators and escalators often involves the use of scaffolding. Scaffolding must comply with the requirements for installation, use and dismantling according to the safety level regulations.

– For elevator overhauls involving welding and cutting in occupied buildings, the scaffolding used must be made of non-combustible materials. There should be a backup plan for a minimum of one-hour fire protection time for any elevator doors that are open during dismantling.

– If the foundation of the scaffold has to be removed to proceed further, other means of support such as steel supports should be provided. Steel supports must be strong enough to support the load and the scaffolding. Such alternative means of support shall be designed and approved by a structural engineer or equivalent.

Scaffolding used inside the shaft or other locations at the construction site must be checked periodically before and after use as prescribed.

– Ensuring the construction site is safe enough for workers, such as a suitable scaffold, should always be the first choice. However, if that is impractical and the worker is at risk of falling from a height of more than 2m, a safety net must be provided or the worker must wear a properly fastened safety belt/strap secured to an independent lifeline or to a designated mooring place.

Workers should be equipped with suitable protective equipment for the job

Temporary protection at the pick up stop

– Buildings under construction: Safety measures should be taken for elevator doors in buildings under construction to prevent workers or objects from falling into the shaft. The protective equipment provided shall be the same as used elsewhere on the site.

– The building has been put into use: When maintaining or dismantling existing elevators, the passenger door must be left in place and locked until it is replaced. If dismantling more than one lift door at the same time, there should be a backup plan for a minimum of one hour fire protection time for the elevator doors to open and scaffolding made of combustible materials is not allowed inside the elevator.

– If the construction floor stops using because the elevator is operating, it is necessary to comply with the requirements in the regulations.

Safe practice in overhaul/repair of elevator/escalator operating faults

In addition to the relevant safety precautions mentioned in the previous section, when carrying out overhaul/repair works, the following should be observed:

– In special overhaul/repair works, methods of safe lifting or direct installation of spare parts such as cabins or hydraulic jacks, etc. must be specified in advance in the safety level assessment at the site. The recommended method of maintenance manual published by the Elevator Manufacturer should be consulted.

– Wire ropes used to make truss for elevator trucks must have sufficient strength and length. The sharp corners of the cabin should be padded to avoid damage to the wire ropes.

– During the towing of the car, the ropes should be fixed at the anchor points of the frame instead of around the top beam of the lift car. The rope should preferably be a simple 1:1 suspension at the anchor points to eliminate the relative motion of the rope with respect to the anchors.

– If the rope is tied around the pulley guide to lift the car with 2:1 suspension, the rope must be placed in the groove of the pulley.

– If the lifting hook extends beyond the allowable limit, it must be removed immediately.

– When the rope is tangled or short, it is recommended to use conduit in construction. The U-bolts of all clamping pins should be on the end of the ropes. When clamping a rope into a hole, the loose end must be clamped to the main rope with at least three clamps. The distance between the two clamps should be 6 to 7 times larger than the wire diameter. Clamp pins must be inspected and maintained regularly.

Wire rope system, the elevator frame ensures that the elevator cabin is fixed, the replacement and repair need to be safe to avoid the cabin falling causing an unfortunate accident.

– To ensure safety, when the cabin (with the roof as the construction site) is hoisted to the required position for repair purposes, the safety device of the car must be activated immediately to fix the car at safe position.

Main rope replacement work

– All old main ropes should not be replaced in a traction lift. To ensure safety during rope change, at least some of the old ropes must be intact to hold the elevator car in case of an emergency.

– Close the main switch, lock and tag the elevator. Appropriate warning messages warning of elevator inoperability should also be posted in conspicuous locations to avoid any disturbance caused by occupants of the building intending to use the lift.

– Counterweights must be placed at the lowest level in the pit and must be safely and adequately supported so as not to move during replacement.

– For easy and safe handling of new ropes during wire replacement, new ropes to be used must first be cut to the required length before delivery to the installation site.

– To ensure safety, in turn, the old ropes must be replaced with new ones. Delivered to the place of installation.

– To replace the main winch lines, the old ropes must be properly transported to the ground for removal from the operating position. Safety requirements for manual and mechanical lifting should be complied with.

Hydraulic elevator replacement work

– To ensure safety, the old ropes must be replaced with new ones in turn.

– The pressure at the hydraulic jack shall be released and the jack shall be withdrawn to the lowest position after the hydraulic car has been supported by a lifting device installed on the top of the shaft or in the upper engine room.

Safe gear replacement work

– The elevator car should be located near the lower closing stop to reduce the risk of falling from above during the replacement of safety devices at the bottom of the car.

– There should be a suitable construction floor in the pit so that the repairman can safely carry out the replacement of equipment.

– After completion of special overhaul/repair work, lifting tools and equipment for the purpose of lifting/lowering the truss must be properly dismantled and the counterweight support must also be removed before the lift return to normal operation.

Read more about Occupational Safety at:

– Part 1: Safety assessment at the construction site

– Part 2: Safety instructions when working on elevators

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.