CE Marking in Lifts
Regulation 2014/33/EU on Lifts has been issued to ensure lifts are put into market in a way not to impose a health and safety risk for end-users. This regulation covers lifts and lift safety components used in all buildings. How to get CE certificate? How is the CE mark affixed? What are the requirements of the basis standarts EN 81-20 and EN 81-50?
Elisha Graves OTIS sold the first safety elevator on 1953. Almost a year after the first sale, in the New World’s Fair in 1854 in New York, he cut the only rope holding the platform on which he was standing in front of a shocked audience. The platform that was released from the rope with an axe, fell only a few inches before coming to a full stop. After this unbelievable show, Otis received continuous orders, doubling each year.
Lifts have a big share in our civilization level. If there had been no lifts, the high buildings where we live in today and skyscrapers could not have been built, and most industries would not have been developed. Lifts provide us with increasingly comfortable and safe access in modern buildings, and we do not need an axe today to be assured of this safety.
Regulation 2014/33/EU on Lifts has been issued to ensure lifts are put into market in a way not to impose a health and safety risk for end-users. This regulation covers lifts and lift safety components used in buildings.
The Lifts Directive has a dual objective: to permit the free movement of lifts and safety components for lifts whilst ensuring that such products provide a high level of protection of the health and safety of people. This Directive gives lift installers and manufacturers of safety components a wide choice of conformity assessment procedures based on the so-called “modules”. The Lifts Directive is thus a good example of the “Global and new approach to conformity assessment”.
“Lift” means an appliance serving specific levels, having a carrier moving along rails which are rigid and inclined at an angle of more than 15 degrees horizontally.
The Directive does not actually give a definition for “safety component”. Most of the components of a lift contribute in one way or another to its safe operation. However, safety components for lifts are components that are fitted with the specific purpose of ensuring safety rather than simply for the normal operation of the lift. Safety components for lifts are listed in Annex III of the Directive. The list consists of 6 main safety components.
A visible CE marking symbol indicates that the lift and the safety components satisfy the essential health and safety requirements of Annex I of the Directive and have been subject to the appropriate conformity assessment procedure. The best way for a presumption of conformity with the essential health and safety requirements is to apply the harmonized standards published in the Official Journal of the European Union.
Conformity Assessment Of Components Except For Safety Components
There are many equipment that make up the elevator and are not considered as safety components. These components can be certified except for the modules specified in the regulation may be tested to check whether they meet the requirements specified in the standard, and if they meet the necessary conditions, a “Certificate of Conformity” is issued to show their compliance with the relevant standard.
CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT OF SAFETY COMPONENTS
The conformity assessment methods for safety components are based on two phases; design and manufacturing.
The model safety component is submitted to an EU type-examination carried out by a Notified Body (Annex IV-A, module B).
If the model safety component is subject to an EC Type-Examination certificate, the manufacturer may then apply one of the following procedures to ensure that the safety components produced are in conformity with the approved type:
- Conformity to type with random checking by a Notified Body on samples of his production (Annex IX, module C2)
- Establishing a quality management system in order to ensure the continuity that the safety components are produced in accordance with the type and the conformity of this system to the type based on product quality assurance by the approval of this system by the Notified Body (Annex VI, module E).
It is required that, whichever conformity assessment procedure is chosen, the manufacturer must affix the CE marking to each safety component and draw up an EU Declaration of Conformity according to the requirements of Annex 2A of the Directive.
CONFORMITY ASSESSMENT OF LIFTS
As in safety components, the conformity assessment methods for lifts consist of two phases: design and installation.
The model lift is subject to an EU type-examination by a Notified Body (Annex IV-B, module B)
The conformity of the model lift is assessed by the installer, and the full quality assurance system operated by the manufacturer must be approved by a Notified Body (Annex XI, module H1).
The lift design is subjected to unit verification by a Notified Body (Annex VIII, module G).
In case a full quality assurance system is applied in the design but the design does not fully comply with the relevant harmonised standards, a design inspection must also be carried out by a Notified Body, and when conformity with the requirements is provided, an EU Design Examination Certificate is issued.
In order to check the conformity of a lift installation with the design of the lift which was assessed during the design phase, the lift installer may choose one of the following alternative methods:
- Final inspection carried out by Notified Body on the lift (Annex V)
- The lift installer carries out the final inspection and testing of the lift installation under a product quality assurance system approved by a Notified Body (Annex X, Module E);
- The lift installer carries out the final inspection and testing of the lift installation under a production quality assurance system approved by a Notified Body (AnnexXII, Module D);
- The lift installer carries out the final inspection and testing of the lift installation under the approved full quality assurance system that has also covered the design phase (Annex XI, Module H1).
For lifts that have been subject to unit verification by a Notified Body, the same procedure covers both the design and the installation phases (Annex VIII, Module G).
It is required that, whichever conformity assessment procedure is chosen, the installer must affix the CE marking to each lift and draw up an EU Declaration of Conformity according to the requirements of Annex 2B of the Directive.
