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Safety Order: Hydraulic Elevator With Single Bottom Cylinder

Safety Order

Safety Order: Hydraulic Elevator With Single Bottom Cylinder

December 14, 2010

Safety Order
Elevating Devices

Reference Number:

SO-L1 101214 1



This safety order is issued pursuant to section 31 of the Safety Standards Act. A person affected by this safety order may appeal this order in writing to the Safety Standards Appeal Board within 30 days. The appeal process is set out on the Safety Standards Appeal Board's website at Safety Standards Appeal Board.

Failure to comply with a safety order is an offence under section 72 of the Safety Standards Act.

This safety order was issued in conjunction with information bulletin B-L4 101214 1.

Note:

This safety order applies to all hydraulic elevators installed below ground with single bottom cylinders. Most single bottom cylinders have been in the ground for 30 years or more. The potential for catastrophic failure due to separation of a single bottom from the cylinder increases with cylinder age.

Recent changes to Provincial regulations adopted the most current version of the CSA B44-2007 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (the “Code”), which requires modification of existing single bottom cylinder elevators by October 8, 2015. This Safety Order is intended to promote the orderly and efficient compliance of owners and contractors with the Code requirements.

The building owner or property manager should have complete a Safety Order Compliance Plan before February 1, 2014.

After the elevator has been retrofited, the building owner or property manager must then advise the BC Safety Authority of their compliance by completing a Safety Order Compliance Notification before October 8, 2015.

Part 1: Details of regulated work or regulated product

This Safety Order applies to all hydraulic elevators installed below ground with single bottom cylinders. Most single bottom cylinders have been in the ground for 30 years or more. The potential for catastrophic failure due to separation of a single bottom from the cylinder increases with cylinder age.

Recent changes to Provincial regulations adopted the most current version of the CSA B44-2007 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators (the “Code”), which requires modification of existing single bottom cylinder elevators by October 8, 2015. This Safety Order is intended to promote the orderly and efficient compliance of owners and contractors with the Code requirements.

To assist in determining whether a given elevator employs a single bottom cylinder, the Safety Authority has compiled a list of units that are likely to be affected by this Safety Order based on age and historical design information to the extent this information is available.

This list is not exhaustive as the applicable records are several decades old and in many cases are incomplete. Inclusion on this list does not guarantee that an elevator is subject to this Safety Order, nor does exclusion from the list guarantee that an elevator is not subject to this Safety Order. The list is intended only to provide some assistance to recipients of this Safety Order as it may be difficult to determine whether a given elevator employs a single bottom cylinder from normal inspection.

The list can be accessed on the Safety Authority’s website as Information Bulletin B-L4 101214 1 and units are listed by the unit registration number which is specified on the BCSA issued annual operating permit. Check with your elevator maintenance contractor and the original manufacturer of the equipment on your property to assist you in determining what type of equipment you have.

Part 2: Requirement(s) of this Safety Order

  1. Effective October 8, 2015, all hydraulic elevators referred to in Part 1 of this Safety Order must comply with section 8.6.5.8 of the Code.
  2. A building owner(s) and/or property manager(s) responsible for premises which contain the type of elevator equipment referred to in Part 1 of this Safety Order must complete the electronic Safety Order Compliance Plan in respect of each unit and submit it online ensuring that the following information is provided:
  1. State the method by which your hydraulic elevator will be brought into compliance
  2. State the date by which your hydraulic elevator is expected to be brought into compliance
  3. Identify the BCSA licensed elevating devices contractor who will perform the regulated work to bring the hydraulic elevator into compliance

Or

  1. State that the Safety Order is not applicable for one of the following reasons:
    1. The equipment has been upgraded and is compliant
    2. The equipment is a double bottom cylinder

Enclosing documentation proof will be required from a BCSA licensed elevating devices contractor or the original elevator manufacturer.

Completed forms must be received by the Provincial Safety Manager no later than October 8, 2011.

  1. Upon completion of the necessary work to comply with the Code and Part 2, clauses 1 and 2 of this Safety Order a building owner(s) and/or property manager(s) responsible for premises which contain the type of elevator equipment referred to in Part 1 of this Safety Order must complete the electronic Safety Order Compliance Notification in respect of each unit confirming compliance with this Safety Order and submit it online ensuring that the following information is provided:
  1. State the method by which your hydraulic elevator has been made compliant
  2. State the date by which your hydraulic elevator was made compliant
  3. Identify the BCSA licensed elevating devices contractor who performed the regulated work to make the hydraulic elevator compliant.

Completed forms must be received by the Provincial Safety Manager no later than October 8, 2015.

  1. After October 8, 2015 any BCSA licensed elevating device contractor that identifies equipment referred to in Part 1 of this Safety Order that does not comply with this Safety Order must immediately remove the equipment from service and notify the Safety Authority in writing.

Part 3: Details of issue (if applicable)

This safety order is being issued to the following:

-Building Owners, Property Managers and BCSA licensed Elevating Devices Contractors

In the event no property manager confirms responsibility for compliance with this Safety Order, BCSA will enforce this Safety Order against the building’s owner as indicated on Land Title records or assessment rolls.

Part 4: Details of ordering Safety Manager or Safety Officer – please read following page

I certify that I am authorized to issue this safety order in accordance with section 15 (d) of the Safety Standards Act or that I have been delegated this power under section 15 (g) of the Safety Standards Act

Janice Lee, P. Eng.

Date: December 14, 2010

Provincial Safety Manager, Elevating Devices

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