A18.1 - Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts

The ASME A18.1 Safety Standard for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts presents certain guides for the design, construction, installation, operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and repair of inclined stairway chairlifts, and inclined and vertical platform lifts. It covers devices intended for transportation of a mobility-impaired person only—typically within household applications. The ultimate goal of this Standard is to help protect public safety, while reflecting best-practices of industry.

Key changes to this Edition include:

• Engineering Tests
  o Free fall overspeed testing
  o Independent lab certification
  o Testing at max (45 degrees) and min angle of product capability
  o Full load and no load
• Re-Locatable Lifts
  o New definition for class of platform lift
  o Level surface detection – more than 5% or 1:20 slope lift cannot run
  o Manufacturer to test for stability at top of travel when on a 5% slope
  o Signage regarding top landing alignment
  o Electrical connection means meeting NFPA 70 (can be on lift)
  o Retractable or removable wheels to be monitored and lift only operable when retracted or removed
• Maintenance
  o New definitions for Authorized personnel and Lift personnel
  o Updates to current code sections where new definitions apply
  o New section 11 for Maintenance
• Platform-mounted sidewalls
  o allowance for the installation of only one platform wall
  o Any non access side of the platform with no wall shall be equipped with an edge protection device.
  o A grab rail shall extend not less than 10mm (0.375 in.) nor more than 75 mm (.75in.)
  o if equipped with protection on the top edge of the enclosure wall side wall running clearance to enclosure wall may be not less than 10mm (0.375 in.) nor more than 75 mm (.75in.)
• Emergency Signals
  o Audible signaling device to be located outside platform and outside the runway
  o Audible signaling device sound rating not less than 70dBA and not more then 80dBA 120” from lift
  o Lifts installed in areas not normally occupied when lift is in use shall be provided with a means of two-way conversation to building or emergency personnel
• Audio Alarms
  o Move from inside to outside the platform and runway
  o Install alarm adjacent to the lift
  o Reduce dBA level from 80 down to 70 at 120”
• Safeties and Governors
  o Removal of the use of self-locking drive on residential inclines and stair chair lifts
  o Residential inclines and stair chair lifts now require speed governor
  o Alternate to speed governor can be substituted by systems designed so no overspeed can occur in the event of a single failure of a drive component