ASME Meets, Approves Communication System Proposal

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) held elevator code meetings on May 14-17 in Palm Springs, California. The ASME A17 Standards committee and several other committees met to continue work on the next editions of the model codes for elevators, escalators and other conveyances, which will be published next year. Hundreds of experts from the industry, representing manufacturers, service companies, vendors, jurisdictions, consultants, labor and others attended. National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII®) members are active on many of these important committees.

One significant action during the meetings was approval of a proposal to update the requirements for the communication system for elevator cars — the method used to alert authorized personnel that someone is entrapped in an elevator. The approved changes provide technical criteria for a general requirement in the 2018 edition of the International Building Code; provide a consistent set of criteria for manufacturers and inspectors to follow; and make this system more accessible for the deaf, hard of hearing and speech impaired.

ASME publishes several standards related to elevators and other building transportation systems. These include A17.1/B44 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators; A17.2 Guide for Inspection of Elevators, Escalators, and Moving Walks; A17.3 Safety Code for Existing Elevators and Escalators; A17.4 Guide for Emergency Personnel; A17.6 Standard for Suspension, Compensation, and Governor Systems; A17.7/B44.7 Performance Based Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators; A17.8/B44.8 Standard for Wind Turbine Tower Elevators; and A18.1 Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts. Many potential changes are discussed at each meeting, and all changes that are approved will appear in the next edition of the code. Reprinted from NEII Insider newsletter