Changes to the Elevator Code Compliance Regulations Inspire a Safer Home Elevator

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has revised the residential elevator safety code to incorporate a solution to the findings of a recent hazard analysis conducted by the ASME.

The analysis showed a risk of child entrapment due to the distance between the hoistway door and elevator car door being too large. The proposed revisions address the gap as well as several other key modifications required to make any residential elevator safer for occupants and household inhabitants.

These changes are currently voluntary, which means not all residential elevators are compliant. Whether or not these revisions are found to be mandatory will be left to each state to decide. Until the revisions do become mandatory, it's important for consumers, dealers, and contractors who are currently, or planning to, install a home elevator to make sure the model they are considering is compliant with the new 2016 ASME 17.1/CSA B44 code, Section 5.3 Private Residence Elevators.

To increase public awareness of these code changes, please visit http://www.elevatorcompliance.com for more information concerning the specific nature of the revisions, as well as solutions manufacturers can take to make their products code compliant.