European elevator safety standards

There are a number of European standards detailing safety rules for various types of elevator. They cover different aspects of elevator construction and operation. The most important standards are summarized below. Liftinstituut will be happy to supply you with further information.

EN 81-20 / EN 81-50: Electric and Hydraulic ELEVATORS Standards

The standards EN 81-20 and 81-50 were published by CEN in July 2014 and have replaced EN 81-1 and EN 81-2 standards per 31 August 2017. While EN 81-20 formulates the safety and technical requirements for electric and hydraulic elevators, EN 81-50 describes calculation, testing and examinations of elevatorcomponents. By this structure many redundancies of the text between the standards have been removed and it also makes it easier to find information within those standards. 

EN81-1: Electric ELEVATORS Standard

This standard focuses on electric elevators and provides detailed instructions for standardized installation and maintenance of elevator safety equipment and electric safety devices, as well as guide rails, landing doors, car doors, balancing weight systems and locking device operation. It covers the relationship between a elevator’s construction and its rated speed and load, and provides a detailed formula for calculating a elevator’s bending stress, depending on its balancing weight, position of guide rails and distribution of rated load.

EN 81-2: Hydraulic ELEVATORS

This standard focuses on hydraulic elevators and provides detailed instructions for standardized installation and maintenance of elevator safety equipment, clamping devices and electric safety devices, as well as guide rails, landing doors, car doors, balancing weight systems and locking device operation. It covers the relationship between a elevator’s construction and its rated speed and load, and provides a detailed formula for calculating a elevator’s bending stress, depending on its balancing weight, position of guide rails, and distribution of rated load.

EN 81-21: Safety rules for the construction and installation of ELEVATORS in existing buildings

This European Standard specifies the safety rules related to new passenger and goods/passenger elevators permanently installed in existing buildings where in some circumstances due to limitations enforced by building constraints, some requirements of EN 81-1 and EN 81-2 cannot be met (see also 4th sentence of Introduction). This European Standard addresses a number of these constraints and gives requirements for alternative solutions.

EN81-28: Remote Alarms for Passenger and Passenger and Goods ELEVATORS

This standard covers remote alarm systems in passenger and goods elevators. It addresses significant hazards, safety requirements, protective measures, information to be provided, tests, markings and notices to be posted.

EN81-70: Accessibility of ELEVATORS for Persons including Persons with Disability

This standard covers accessibility of elevators for able-bodied and disabled people. It addresses significant hazards and barriers, safety requirements, protective measures and information for users.

EN81-72: Firefighters ELEVATORs

This standard covers firefighters’ elevators. It addresses significant hazards, safety requirements, protective measures, significance of the landing door and access to facilities using the fire service access level.

EN81-73: Behaviour of ELEVATORS in the Event of Fire

This standard covers the behaviour of elevators in the event of a fire. It addresses significant hazards, safety requirements, protective measures and information for users.

EN 81-77: ELEVATORs subject to seismic conditions

This European Standard specifies the special provisions and safety rules for passenger and goods passenger elevators where these elevators are permanently installed in buildings that are in compliance with EN 1998-1 (Eurocode 8). This standard defines additional requirements to EN 81-1 and EN 81-2. It applies to new passenger elevators and goods passenger elevators. However, it may be used It does not apply to seismic elevator category 0 as defined in Table A.1. This European Standard does not address other risks due to seismic events (for example fire, flood, explosion).as a basis to improve the safety of existing passenger and goods passenger elevators.