Elevator Safety and the Indian Market

European EN 81 standards are not a legal requirement in India, but they still represent world-beating safety quality.

During my 18 years in the elevator and escalator industry, I have come across some sobering stories about accidents that can happen in elevators. Elevator accidents are rare but can be serious. There were around 28 estimated fatalities from elevator accidents in India in 2019. I am sure that many readers of ELEVATOR WORLD India have come across some of these stories. And, in the industry, we are all aware that it is always possible to do more to enhance the safety of elevators to avoid future accidents. 

EN 81-20 and -50 are world-leading European elevator safety standards. In Europe, all new elevators put into operation must comply with these standards by law (except goods lifts and passenger lifts traveling slower than 0.15 m/s). EN 81 standards are not a legal requirement in India, but they still represent world-beating safety quality. Furthermore, India’s existing National Building Codes and Standards draw on Europe’s EN 81 standards.

Broadly speaking, the latest EN 81 standards are designed to improve accessibility, safety and comfort for passengers and service personnel, and cover both mechanical and electrical equipment. The standards call for improving, among other things, elevator car speed and movement, brake redundancy, door-operation detection, fire resistance for car walls, car-door locking mechanisms, the strength of doors and walls, evacuation procedures and facilities, and car lighting for passenger safety. Additionally, the standards provide for electrical safety with residual current devices; additional lighting for the car top, shaft and machine room; safer pit and control-room access; improved cartop balustrades; inspection and rescue doors; and safe refuge space in the pit and headroom for service personnel.

Monarch BST — an Inovance company, one of the world’s largest suppliers of electrical components for elevators, offers a range of products that comply with these applicable stringent standards. These include the NICE3000+ international variant (an all-in-one elevator controller and drive) and the NICE900 door controller. We also focus on developing products specifically for the Indian market with a range of bespoke products that have been designed based on our extensive local market research. These include the NICE100+ and NICE1000+ integrated elevator controllers, as well as the MD380L open-loop elevator drive. We have a dedicated R&D team in India for elevator product hardware and software development and customization, in addition to pan-India sales and service operations.

In this era of COVID-19, elevator safety has taken on a whole new dynamic, with technologies such as contactless elevator calling systems coming into their own. Now, every elevator manufacturer is working on any possible solution to enable passengers to use elevators safely in this era, and big strides are being made very quickly.