Safety of lifts: placing on the market of new lifts

To ensure the safety of users and that of others (fitters, maintenance and modernisation technicians, inspectors and checkers), lifts must meet a number of technical requirements.

In addition, the owner or manager of the lift must manage the lift so as to provide a safe service; these obligations are described in the Royal Decree of 9 March 2003 on the safety of lifts.

Laws and regulations

Obligations for lift installers

Obligations for the manufacturers of a lift safety component

Laws and regulations

The general provisions and safety requirements for lifts are described in the law of 9 February 1994 on the safety of products and services.

The Royal Decree of 10 August 1998 regarding the placing on the market of lifts supplements the requirements of the general law.

The definition of a lift changed on 29 December 2009.
This has particular consequences for the scope of the laws and regulations in two respects:

• it is no longer necessary for a lift to have a car to be considered a lift. A passenger compartment is sufficient.
• Slow lifts whose speed is less than 0.15 m/s will no longer be subject to the requirements of the ‘lifts’ regulations, but to that of the machinery .

The definition of a lift is as follows: ‘A lift is lifting apparatus that services specific levels with the aid of a car which moves along rigid guides whose horizontal incline is greater than 15 degrees; it is designed to transport:

• people;
• people and objects;
• objects, only if the passenger compartment is accessible, i.e. if a person can enter it without difficulty and if it is fitted with controls inside the passenger compartment or within the reach of a person inside the passenger compartment’.

Lifting appliances moving along a fixed course even where they do not move along guides which are rigid shall be considered as lifts falling within the scope of this act.

These regulations do not apply to:

• lifting apparatus whose speed does not exceed 0.15 m/s;
• construction site hoists 
• cableway installations, including funicular railways;
• lifts that are specifically designed and built for military or law enforcement purposes;
• lifting appliances through which tasks can be carried out;
• lifts in mine shafts;
• lifting equipment intended for lifting performers during performances;
• lifting apparatus installed in means of transport;
• lifting apparatus connected to machinery and designed solely for access to a workstation, including maintenance and inspection points found on the machine;
• rack-and-pinion trains;
• escalators and moving walkways.

Obligations for lift installers

Installers may only place lifts on the market which:

• satisfy essential safety requirements;
• bear CE marking and the identification number of the Notified Body;
• have clearly legible and appropriate instructions for reducing risk during use. These warnings and usage precautions must be written in the language(s) of the region where the lift is installed.

To demonstrate that the lift meets essential safety requirements and so that it can be given CE marking, the installer must follow a specific procedure according to the type of design of the lift. The details of these procedures can be found in the Royal Decree of 10 August 1998 concerning the placing on the market lifts.

Obligations for the manufacturers of a lift safety component

Manufacturers can only place their safety components on the market:

• if they satisfy essential safety requirements or if they enable the lifts in which they are installed to satisfy said requirements;
• if they have CE marking;
• if they have clearly legible and appropriate instructions for reducing risk during use. These warnings and notices must be written in the language(s) of the region where the components are sold.

To demonstrate that the component meets essential safety requirements, the manufacturer has a choice between 3 procedures implemented by a Notified Body:

• an EC type examination and production inspection;
• an EC type examination and a quality assurance system;
• or a comprehensive quality assurance system;

The details of these procedures can be found in the Royal Decree of 10 August 1998 concerning the placing on the market of lifts.