There may be no great hills in Belgium, but the country still has facilities similar to those found in the mountains: cable cars, ski lifts and other cable railways. These facilities can be found in a number of well-known and popular tourist destinations.

Regulations

The general safety requirements are prescribed in the Code of Economic Law, Book IX with on the safety of products and services. The Royal Decree of 23 January 2003 on cableway facilities for human transport has been repealed and replaced by the European regulation 2016/424 of 9 March 2016 on cable facilities, repealing directive 2000/9/EC.

Some facilities, such as cableway facilities of historical, heritage or cultural importance, mining facilities or facilities used for agricultural and forestry purposes are not included in the scope of the regulation.

Safety sub-systems or components which comply with Directive 2000/9/EC may be available on the market, if placed there before 21 April 2018.

Cableway facilities that comply with Directive 2000/9/EC may be used if installed before 21 April 2018.

Obligations of the commissioning client (or his legal representative)

The client must submit his installation project for approval to the minister for Consumer Safety Protection.

His installation project must undergo a safety analysis, which takes into account all safety aspects relating to the system and its surroundings, as well as its realisation and commissioning. Results of the safety analysis can be used to identify dangers that may occur during operation.

A dossier must be provided along with the request, including:

  • The correct contact details of the "commissioning client" and/or his legal representative;
  • the application area;
  • the identification of the installation;
  • a report of the safety analysis with the measures intended be implemented in order to limit the risks;
  • the compliance certificates;
  • the lists of basic components;
  • the adjustment, assembly and maintenance instructions;
  • Where appropriate, the EC declaration of conformity and the technical documentation for the safety components.

The client keeps a copy of this on the facilities’ premises.

Obligations for the manufacturer of a safety component or sub-system

In order to ensure that the product satisfies the terms in the aforementioned regulations, the manufacturer must design safety components or sub-systems in accordance with the compliance procedures as described in article 18 in the regulation 2016/424.

Last update
26 May 2021

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