An Industry Evolving and United

To advance industry safety, the dialogue on safety codes relies on continuous improvement, lessons learned in the field and having all parties at the table.

by Kevin Brinkman and Philip W. Grone 

The safety codes developed by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), as well as the building, electrical, plumbing, energy and accessibility codes developed by ASME’s peer organizations, are the foundation for safety in the industry. Each of these bodies is composed of individuals from a variety of disciplines with deep expertise, including state, provincial and local regulators, that inform each new generation of codes and standards. ASME and other code development bodies ultimately build consensus throughout the process of developing the published revisions on a roughly three-year schedule.

Every code cycle supports technical innovation in the market, creates the need for new training programs and, most importantly, enhances the safety of the riding public and the industry workforce. Adoption and enforcement by AHJs traditionally has not been as regular and routine. Often, variations in the adoption process have left the industry to grapple with the enforcement of widely varying code editions in neighboring AHJs or significant variation in how specific code provisions are treated by AHJs. In both cases, variances are necessary to fulfill the requirements of building owners and operators, a process that leads to delay and adds costs for the end user. 

The development of safety codes is a process of continuous technical improvement in the standards that guide the industry. The most recent update to ASME A17.1/CSA B44, the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, generated some of the most significant additions to the standards for newly installed devices seen in many years. Remote interaction operations, mandatory cybersecurity enhancements, flood detection operation, test enable operation, full hoistway lighting and the addition of sensors to ladders in new installations and the application of door-lock monitoring to existing installations are critical changes brought to the built environment with the 2022 edition of ASME A17.1/CSA B44.

The United Convention and our session will give the industry the opportunity to discuss not just where we are and where we are headed but the practical impediments to effective, consistent implementation of the codes and standards developed through the ASME and related processes.

Combined with the important two-way communications provisions, requirements for executable software and SIL devices and improvements to hoistway door protection introduced in the 2019 edition of ASME A17.1/CSA B44, the safety and security of building transportation for the riding public and the workforce is enhanced. For existing elevators, the two most recent updates to ASME A17.3 improved safety through added requirements for door-lock monitoring and ascending car overspeed/unintended car movement protections.

AHJs have made significant progress within the last five years to improve the baseline code under which they operate. At the U.S. state level, by August 2023, 35 states had adopted editions of ASME A17.1/CSA B44 that were not more than one edition behind (i.e., the 2016 or 2019 editions). With the publication of the 2022 edition, the map resets. The progress is continuing as 35 states, albeit not the same ones, are projected to adopt either the 2019 or 2022 edition of ASME A17.1 by late 2025. This includes significant pre-rulemaking activity underway in California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, as well as in NYC.

That’s the good news.

Against the backdrop of ramped-up adoption practices and a commitment by AHJs to “get current,” a number of persistent challenges continue, and some new trends have appeared:

• The number of deviations from the published ASME A17.1/CSA B44 standard remain stubbornly high in several jurisdictions. Many deviations are carried over from one edition to the next without rigorous justification, including a lack of safety assessments and other data to support the necessity for the variation.
• Differing enforcement standards running the gamut from Fire Alarm Initiating Devices testing methods to who should have access to hoistways and control rooms.
• An increasing number of widely varying phase-in periods for compliance with code provisions, particularly for existing elevators under ASME A17.3, such as door-lock monitoring.
• Emerging exceptions for two-way communications in new or existing installations.
• Resource challenges affecting the administration of elevator programs by AHJs with effects on inspection shortfalls and the lack, in many cases, of adequate program data.

How should the industry address the challenges?

In September, we will join with our colleagues from various corners of the industry, including elevator contractors, service providers, consultants, trainers and inspectors, at the 2024 United Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey, for a thorough session focused on these challenges. The United Convention and our session will give the industry the opportunity to discuss not just where we are and where we are headed but the practical impediments to effective, consistent implementation of the codes and standards developed through the ASME and related processes. The field and interpretation and enforcement by AHJs is where the code meets reality. Feedback from the broadest reaches of the industry can provide insights that can improve both code development and consistent enforcement. We welcome the participation of all concerned in the dialogue. It’s an effort we should unite behind to continue to improve and to progress as an industry.