An important note to this article: the indications given relate to what the draft of the standard currently indicates, but only the text to be published will be valid, which might (difficult but might) differ from what the current text is.
The EN 81-41 - Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Special lifts for the transport of persons and goods - Part 41: Vertical lifting platforms intended for use by persons with impaired mobility successfully passed the ‘formal voting’ phase that took place between June and August this year. A total of 16 CEN national committees approved the standard, while no committee voted against (100% against a required minimum of 55%). So, the so-called weighted vote was a success, with 100 % in favour (minimum required 65 %).
The last corrections and additions have been completed in light of the ‘lack of compliance’ that affected the standard last year.
The last step is that of publication by CEN and the European Commission on the OJEU, and for this reason the anticipations we give should still be considered as non-final as the document may be affected by changes/additions up to the last.
The standard specifies safety requirements for the manufacture, installation, maintenance and dismantling of electrically operated vertical lift platforms fixed to a building structure, intended for use by persons with reduced mobility:
- travelling vertically between predefined levels, along a guided route whose vertical inclination does not exceed 15°;
- intended for use by persons with or without a wheelchair;
- supported or sustained by means of sprocket and chain, ropes, chains, screw and nut, friction/adhesion between wheels and guide, guided chain, pantograph mechanism or hydraulic piston (direct or indirect)
- with closed compartment;
- with speed not exceeding 0.15 m/s;
- with load carrier not completely closed.
Compared to the previous version of 2010, the new EN 81-41 introduces the following technical changes:
- a requirement has been added regarding the detection of a person inside the load carrier (which is a car but not completely enclosed), which Austria wanted in order to prevent automatic operating of the carrier from the landing with people inside the carrier. If persons are detected inside the carrier, is not possible to operate the carrier in automatic way from the controls at landing;
The standard gives the requirements for the detection means, which detect presence of persons in the carrier:
- when activated, they must prevent a call from any landing control; and
- they shall be monitored failure; and
- in the event of failure, calls from any landing control shall be prevented; and
- they shall not override the electrical safety devices (described in a specific Table), even if the detection means has failed.
- the drive specification for the friction roller system;
- requirements for the traction drive have been introduced;
- requirements for the screw and nut drive have been revised and tightened (requirements for inspection, nut, fastening);
- requirements for unlocking the landing door lock were revised;
- the impact energy forces of the motorised landing door were revised (reduced);
- the toothed belt drive was added;
- the use of the term ‘platform’ versus ‘carrier’ has been revised
- all normative references of the mentioned standards have been dated [also in EN 81-31];
- a new Annex ZA was developed, which includes a detailed Table ZA.1;
- Updated normative references to the main standards EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 instead of EN 81-1 and EN 81-2 [also in EN 81-31].
Other new features include the introduction of a new Appendix F - informative on the machine's interface with the building. This appendix deals with topics such as the support of Guide Rails and the ventilation of the enclosed liftway.
With regard to the first aspect, the consideration underlying the, albeit brief, considerations in the informative appendix starts from the important assumption that the guides of the lifting platform are supported in such a way as to minimise the effects of the movement of the building structure to which they are connected.
The second aspect starts from the assumption, already expressed in EN 81-20, that the requirement to adequately ventilate the closed travel space of the platform is often contained in local building codes, either specifically or as a general requirement, just as it is given for any building space where machinery is installed or people are housed (for leisure, work, etc.).
Therefore, EN 81-41 does not and cannot give precise indications on specific requirements for ventilating such areas, since the closed platform travel space is part of a larger and often complex building environment. On the contrary, wanting to give specific requirements would risk creating a conflict with national requirements. However, the document in this appendix provides some very interesting and, above all, useful general indications for the design of proper platform ventilation.
Compared to the 2010 edition in the new version are deleted Annex F (informative) concerning the calculation of steel guides (very poor of information), and Annex G concerning “Friction/traction drive – Calculation and test for verification of traction conformity” (specific requirements introduced in the main text of the document.
Regarding exclusions, as in the 2010 edition, the standard does not specify additional requirements for:
- operation in severe conditions (e.g. extreme climates, strong magnetic fields);
- lightning protection;
- operation subject to special rules (e.g. potentially explosive atmospheres);
- handling of materials, the nature of which could lead to dangerous situations;
- vertical lifting platforms whose primary function is the transportation of goods;
- vertical lifting platforms whose carriers are completely enclosed;
- vertical lifting platforms prone to vandalism;
- hazards occurring during manufacture;
- earthquakes, flooding;
- firefighting, evacuation and behaviour during a fire;
- noise and vibrations;
- the design of concrete, hard core, timber or other foundation or building arrangement;
- the design of anchorage bolts to the supporting structure;
- type C wheelchairs as defined in EN 12183:2014 and/or EN 12184:2014
Finally, as with all harmonised standards, the document is not applicable to vertical lift tables intended for use by persons with reduced mobility that were manufactured prior to the date of its publication as EN.
This document constitutes a full revision of the standard. The main technical changes with respect to EN 81-41: 2010 are:
- requirement for a means for detection of a person on the carrier has been added;
- friction roller drive has been removed;
- traction drive requirements have been introduced;
- screw and nut drive requirements have been strengthened (inspection, safety nut, fixing requirements);
- landing door lock release requirements have been revised;
- power door contact forces have been reduced;
- toothed belts drive has been added;
- use of the word “carrier” vs “platform” has been revised;
- all normative references to other standards have been dated;
- a new Annex ZA, including a detailed Table ZA.1, has been developed.
