A17 Code Committee Awards Ceremony

In May, ASME A17 code experts were recognized for their service as A17 committee chairmen and officers.

The first edition of the ASME A17 code was published in 1821. It was prepared by an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) committee for the protection of industrial workers. The committee was comprised of representatives of manufacturers, insurance companies, regulatory bodies and technical experts. This group then took on the continuing task of the administration and further development of A17, which has since evolved into what is known today as the ASME A17.1-2010/CSA B44-10 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators with requirements for dumbwaiters, moving walks, material lifts and dumbwaiters with automatic-transfer devices.

The first revision to the A17 code was published in 1925, and since that time, over 50 subsequent supplements to and new editions of this code have been developed by elevator-industry experts and published by the American National Standards Institute and ASME. The experts involved in this work (which spans four generations) have spent the better part of their professional careers working with and on these important elevator-industry standards.

Today, what initially was called the A17 Main Committee is known as the A17 Standards Committee. This group of 35 members and officers oversees the work of numerous subcommittees for the administration and re-vision of various sections of A17. This work covers all aspects of elevators, escalators, moving walks and various other building-transportation systems.

During the 86 years that this process has been functioning, elevator-industry engineers and experts have been developing and keeping these important codes up to date for the elevator industry to use to design, manufacture and maintain, and for AHJs to inspect and approve vertical-transportation equipment. These experts spend a good deal of time on this work during their professional careers, and some have even continued this work during their retirement.

During the week of A17 code-committee meetings on May 2-6 at the Hilton Gaslamp Hotel in San Diego, the efforts of a number of these individuals were recognized for their many years of service as A17 committee chairmen and officers.

The following outgoing officers and chairman were presented with certificates of recognition for their work on the A17 committees noted:

• George Gibson: Mechanical Design and Earthquake 
• Al Vershell: Inclined and Residential Elevators
• George Kappenhagen: Hydraulic Elevators

The following incoming A17 Standards Committee officers were also recognized:

• Hank Peelle, chairman
• Louis Bialy, vice chairman
• Richard Gregory, vice chairman

In addition to enjoying a fine dinner, the honorees were presented various certificates of appreciation and awards.