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Service Update

Due to scheduled maintenance, our online services will be temporarily unavailable on April 3, 2024 from 5:30 pm to 10 pm. We apologize for any inconvenience.  

Hazards Associated With the Maintenance of Passenger Conveyors

Information Bulletin

Information Bulletin: Hazards associated with the maintenance of passenger conveyors

April 3, 2017

Information Bulletin
Passenger Ropeways

Reference Number:

IB-PR 2017-02



In the past three months, BC Safety Authority has been notified of two incidents that occurred during the maintenance of passenger conveyors. One incident resulted in severe injuries, and the most recent incident resulted in the death of a maintenance worker. Both incidents remain under investigation by BC Safety Authority and WorkSafeBC. While these investigations continue, BC Safety Authority reminds owners, operators and maintenance personnel of their responsibilities and the hazards associated with the maintenance of passenger conveyor systems. The make of the passenger conveyor involved in these two incidents is “Magic Carpet Lift”. However, these hazards pertain to all makes of passenger conveyors.

Owners, Operators and Maintenance Personnel of all passenger conveyors are reminded:

  • Management personnel and personnel responsible for inspection, testing and maintenance are required to be familiar and compliant with the applicable provisions of the CSA Z98-2014 Standard - Passenger Ropeways and Passenger Conveyors.
  • Passenger ropeways and passenger conveyors must be maintained by trained and competent persons.
  • The owner or the owner's representative shall be responsible for supervising and training maintenance personnel. The training shall include instructions on the use of the manufacturer's maintenance manuals, observation of potentially dangerous operational or mechanical developments within view, and the appropriate action to take if a condition develops in which continued normal operation might cause injury or property damage.
  • The owner or the owner's representative is required to ensure that all service and safety instruction bulletins, issued by the manufacturer or designer, are communicated to appropriate personnel and inserted into the maintenance manual for each affected passenger ropeway installation. Communication of this information to the appropriate personnel must be documented.

Owners, Operators and Maintenance Personnel of Magic Carpet Lifts are reminded of the following information:

  • Technical bulletins issued by the manufacturer in relation to guarding procedures.
  • Technical bulletins issued by the manufacturer in relation to lock-out / tag-out procedures.
  • These bulletins are available on the manufacturer’s website.

Safety procedures during maintenance:

  • Written safety procedures (including lock out procedures) used during maintenance must be prepared and placed in or at each conveyor attendant station.
  • All maintenance personnel must be trained in and follow the maintenance, safety and lockout procedures for each conveyor. Maintenance personnel shall have on their person and utilize all the required equipment and signage as per the lockout procedures.
  • When personnel are working on a conveyor, the established lockout procedures must be implemented. The device must be stopped and/or locked-out before entering and exiting the head and tail work spaces.
  • There must be a minimum of two maintenance personnel at any work location if adjusting or maintaining equipment while conveyor is moving. One of the maintenance personnel must have the ability to stop the conveyor in case of an emergency.
  • All covers are to be bolted down at the head and tail sections when in operation.

All incidents and hazardous maintenance practices are to be reported to BC Safety Authority at: https://portal.technicalsafetybc.ca/report-incident or by calling 1.866.566.7233 (select Option 1).

Nav Chahal
Acting Provincial Safety Manager – Elevating, Ropeways & Amusements

References:
Safety Standards Act
Electrical Safety Regulation
Elevating Devices Safety Regulation
Safety Standards General Regulation
Safety Standards Act Repeal and Transitional Provisions Regulations

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