Working in the Hoistway
- To gain access to the hoistway via landing doors, with the car situated at some convenien distance away from its normal position at a landing, an approved unlocking device or access key switch shall be used to unlock a landing door.
- Before the door is opened for access, it must be decided if the work to be done will require the electrical power supply. If not, the main line switch must be in the “off” position (or the fuses must be withdrawn and retained in a scure place) and an appropriate lockout/tagout device shall be attached to the main line switch.
- Before entering the hoistway a safe means of entry and exit from the hoistway must be clearly established.
- Landing doors must not remain open longer than absolutely necessary.
- Simultaneous work must not be conducted in the hoistway by employees or others, where individuals or groups would be working independently of each other and/or where the workers are stacked in the hoistway (i.e. above/ below each other.)
- CAUTION: No more than two persons will be permitted to work in each individual hoistway at the same time. Any exception to this will require personal review and written authorisation from the installation or service manager.
- After completion of work, an elevator must not be returned to normal operation until it has been confirmed that all workers, tools and equipment are clear or have been removed from the hoistway.
Before attempting to gain access to the hoistway, it should be decided if the work to be done will require the electrical power supply. If not, the main line switch must be tagged and locked in the “off” position (or the fuses must be withdrawn and retained in a secure place) and an appropriate lockout/tagout device shall be attached to the main line switch.
- If it is necessary for the electrical power supply to the car to be maintained for the work to be performed, use the following procedures:
- The elevator must always be run in the inspection mode. Any deviation from this procedure will require written authorisation from the managing director or company owner.
- Safe procedures must be established for accessing and exiting the car. These procedures must include a safe method for capturing the car, taking and verifying control prior to getting on top of the car and maintaining control until safe egress has been achieved.
- Fall protection must be provided at all times when a fall hazard exists when working on top of the car.
- All elevators under maintenance contract will be provided with a car top inspection station. All such fixtures shall be provided with a common button and direction buttons wired so that both the common and a direction button must be depressed to operate the car.
- When it is necessary for personnel to travel on top of a car, this inspection station must be fixed in place and checked for proper operation before proceeding with the work. (Down travel is safer than up travel.)
- When work is being performed on top of the car in a common hoistway, a protective device must be installed to cover the height and width of the exposed work area to protect employees from adjacent moving equipment.
- Additional precautions include:
- Never wear anything that could catch or tangle while on top of a moving car. Never carry tools in pockets. Guardrails shall be used wherever possible where a fall hazard exists. As a general rule, harnesses and lanyards should not be worn while moving a car on inspection. However, if unusual conditions require the use of this form of fall protection, then the following precautions must be followed:
- When the elevator is placed on inspection drive from the car roof top control station, it may only be returned to normal service by the operation of that sameswitch.
- A hazard analysis must be conducted and steps taken to ensure that the harness or lanyard can not become entangled or snagged. (Lanyards must be disconnected from harness during travel.)
- Ensure provision of a clean flat surface to stand on that will support the weight of personnel and equipment. Incorporate the use of special care when car tops are curved or domed.
- To eliminate the possibility of falling while riding a moving car, always take a position near the centre of the car and maintain a firm handhold on the crosshead away from moving parts.
- Tools and other equipment required for the job are to be temporarily place on the car top, safely positioned away from the edge of the car.
- Do not store material of any nature on top of the car.
- Never hang an electric extension light from the hoist ropes.
- Keep your body within the limits of the elevator hoistway being inspected. Accidents from adjacent moving elevators can occur. Be aware of the counterweights position at all times, including adjacent lifts.
- The headroom above the car must be displayed in a prominent position, preferably near the car top control station to visually indicate the minimum overhead clearance.
- All persons working in the hoistway must be aware of when and how the car is to be moved. It is also essential that only one person be in control. Each company must develop a communications procedure to be used by personnel working together in the hoistway.
Entry into the pit will only be permitted when two independent means of shutting off the elevator are available and used. For example, the use of an emergency stop switch and opening the door lock.
Where a redundant means of protection is not available, the main line switch must be tagged and locked in the off position (or the fuses should be withdrawn and retained in a secure place).
- All pits must be equipped with at least one emergency stop switch which is easily accessible from the pit access and the pit floor. If more than one switch is present, they must be wired in series.
- The lighting level in the pit must be adequate for the work being performed.
- Where the lighting switch is co-located in the pit with the emergency stop switch, these switches must be clearly identified and separately positioned so that they cannot be confused.
- All lighting must be protected against mechanical damage and all lighting circuits must be properly fused and grounded.
- Safe procedures must be established for accessing and exiting the pit. These procedures must include a safe method for moving the car away from the pit, verifying control prior to getting into the pit and maintaining control until safe egress has been achieved.
- When entering a pit from the lowest landing, a ladder must be used in all cases where the pit floor is greater than 1.0 metre below the landing sill Suitable handholds at an appropriate height above the sill are required.
- When working under a hydraulic elevator for longer than 15 minutes, the elevator must be landed on a support capable of preventing accidental downward motion.
- A safety sign visible from all access places must be displayed to advise personnel entering the pit to position the support prior to starting work.
- A physical means of protection must be provided in the pit to prevent accidental contact with the counterweight.
- An appropriate warning sign must be displayed on pit access doors to indicate moving equipment is contained within.
- Entry into a wet pit must never be allowed when there is any source of electrical power present. The water must be removed and the pit dried out prior to the inspection or performance of any work.
- An electrical receptacle should be readily available to accommodate the use of portable tools, lights and cleaning equipment. Ground fault circuit protection is required.
Effective precautions shall be provided to protect an open landing entrance. This may take the form of any of the following:
- A barrier, capable of being fixed at the entrance, and which comprises a guardrail at least 1067 mm high with a midrail and toeboard, or a solid enclosure.
- A portable device, fixed in place from within the hoistway, which will restrain a sliding landing door from opening or closing within 75 mm of the closed position.
- These devices should be stored at strategic locations so they are readily available to personnel when required.
- CAUTION: In an occupied building when the landing needs to be protected for longer than one work shift, a barrier must be provided that extends to the full height and width of the entrance.
Hazards in machine rooms relating to rotating machinery and electrical equipment are similar to those encountered at other locations on the job site and require the same type of protection.
At a minimum, the following safeguards must be :
- A safe means of access to equipment areas must be provided.
- When access to the machine room is through a trap door, the opening shall be protected by aguardrail system.
- All electrical contacts, buss and wiring connections must be guarded to protect against electric shock.
- The dimensions of holes in the slab and the floor shall be reduced to a minimum. To prevent objects falling through openings situated above the hoistway, including openings for electric cables, raised guards must be provided which project at least 50 mm above the slab or finished floor.
- The floor must be free of oil and debris.
- Accurate electrical schematic diagrams for all installations must be available at the job site. Any subsequent modifications to any part of the electrical power and safety circuits must be recorded on those diagrams by the persons making the modifications.
Running platforms (permanent equipment which includes car platform being used for this purpose prior to erection of the permanent car enclosure) and false cars are used to accomplish work in the hoistway during construction and on some modernisation jobs. Considering the variety of such devices that are found throughout the world, each company must develop procedures and standards of performance for each model of this type of equipment. At a minimum, company procedures must include the following:
- Construction and operation of these devices shall be restricted to those personnel who have been specifically authorised to accomplish this work. The authorisation process must involve an evaluation of the person’s training and work experience and incorporate a formal or written approval to use this equipment.
- Fall protection must be in use at all times.
- The effective working capacity of this equipment must be clearly understood by all involved personnel and marked at prominent locations on all such devices and in the procedures or instructions for use.
- Assembly of running platforms, false cars, or other such equipment will require:
- hat assembly and disassembly be accomplished at the lowest floor available, and incorporate the use of safety harnesses and lifelines during this operation.
- The installation and use of standard guardrails and toeboards.
- That adequate overhead protection be installed and maintained in place at all times.
- A warning system consisting of both an audible alarm and light must be affixed to the bottom of the platform and wired into the control mechanism so that any movement of the car will activate the alarm. All such warning systems will incorporate a five second delay feature to permit reaction prior to car movement.
- All control mechanisms are to require the use of positive pressure buttons which prevent accidental operation.
- All running platforms must have the governor cable installed with the permanent safeties operational.
- All false cars must be equipped with redundant safeties or fall-arresting devices that are functioning properly at all times during operation. These safety mechanisms must be tested before each day’s work. Examples of acceptable safeties include:
- An independently-suspended safety bloc-stop.
- The safety in the machine or lifting mechanism.
- Mechanisms that apply rapidly increasing pressure to the guide rails in the event of an overspeed.
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