Elevator guarding requirements
“When
I was little, my grandfather used to make me stand in a closet for five
minutes without moving. He said it was elevator practice.”
—Stephen Wright
The Ministry of Labour has mandated that by 01 January 2014, all
elevators in Ontario must have proper machine guards in the elevator
machine rooms and elevator cab-top guards.
(It has been pushed out yet once
more. editor)
Elevator
machinery fencing
You can watch this PowerPoint presentation to see what is required.
Failure to do so can result in fines up to $25,000 or a year in jail
per elevator for individuals and up to $500,000 for corporations. (A
condo is a corporation.)
This is not news to the condo boards and the property managers, as the
ministry has sent out several reminders.
Yet, the elevator technicians I talk to say that anywhere from 30-60%
of the elevators they service have not yet been retrofitted.
By the way, the installation of these safety equipment must be
performed by licenced technicians that have Elevator Devices Mechanics
Class A (EDMCL).
Elevator
cab safety rails
I heard that TSSA will wait for the machinery room fencing to be
installed until you have the elevators refurbished, but the rails above
the elevator cabs must be done now. (That is not saying that the
Ministry of Labour agrees with this.)
If these devices are not installed on your condo's elevators by the end
2013, the residents may be taking the stairs if the TSSA inspector
refuses to renew the elevator's operating licence or if your elevator
technician refuses to work due to unsafe work conditions.
The seniors with their canes, walkers and electric scooters may not be
too thrilled about that.
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