Safety Order: Escalator and Moving Walk Brake and Start-up Requirements

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 www.gov.bc.ca/safetystandardsappealboard.

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

Part 1: Details of Regulated Work or Regulated Product

This safety order is issued to all licensed elevating devices contractors and asset owners or their agent that maintain or own escalators and moving walks. It applies to all escalators and moving walks maintained and tested within the scope of section 8.6 of the A17.1/ B44-2016 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.

Note: For elevating devices for which an installation permit is issued after April 30, 2020, this safety order supersedes Safety Order No. SO-ED 2018-01. For other elevating devices, Safety Order No. SO-ED 2018-01 continues to apply until the device has transitioned to the B44-2016 code, as per s.12.1 of the Elevating Devices Safety Regulation.

Part 2: Requirement(s) Of This Safety Order

Licensed elevating devices contractors and asset owners or their agent are jointly responsible for meeting the requirements of this safety order.

All escalator and moving walk driving machine brakes must be maintained by licensed elevating device contractors as specified in Section 1 (below) of this safety order. Section 1 requirements will come into effect immediately.

Section 2 of this safety order applies to asset owners of escalators and moving walks. Asset owners will be required to implement the requirements of this safety order immediately.

Definition:

authorized personnel: For the purpose of this safety order, authorized personnel refers to an individual designated by the asset owner, who has been instructed in the necessary procedures to start-up and operate the equipment.

Licensed Elevating Device Contractor Requirements:

SECTION 1: Examination, testing, and signage requirements for escalator and moving walk driving machine brakes:

Licensed elevating device contractors are hereby ordered to undertake all activities as described in this Section

1. As part of the maintenance and inspection requirements prescribed in section 8.6.8.12 and 8.6.8.15.4 of the A17.1\B44-2016 code, all licensed elevating device contractors who maintain escalators and moving walks shall examine, maintain, and inspect all driving machine brakes as follows:
   1. The brakes shall be dismantled and cleaned annually to ensure safe and proper operation, including, but not limited to, the following components:
      1. residual pads (antimagnetic pads),
      2. lining and running clearances,
      3. pins and levers,
      4. springs,
      5. sleeves and guide bushings,
      6. discs and drums,
      7. brake coil and plunger.
         Note: where brakes are not possible to dismantle by design, the manufacturer’s maintenance procedures shall be followed.
   2. Upon completion of the dismantling, cleaning, and examination of the driving machine brake, the brake shall be tested for conformance to clause 8.6.8.15.4 of the A17.1/ B44-2016 code and the log book shall be updated with all pertinent information.
   3. A data plate conforming to clause 6.1.5.3.1(d)(1) to (d)(4) shall be provided if no data tag had been previously installed or required.
   4. The brake inspection information and test results as required by the elevating devices safety regulation shall be retained by the maintaining contractor on file in hard copy and electronic format for a minimum of five years and shall be provided to Technical Safety BC immediately upon request.
   5. The completed tests shall be reported annually utilizing the excel spreadsheet included as part the requirements of the annual contractor reporting directive, D-ED 2020-01.
       
2. Brake adjustment procedure
   Licensed elevating device contractors maintaining an escalator or moving walk shall establish a device specific “brake adjustment procedure” that provides instructions for certified elevating device mechanics performing maintenance on the device. The “brake adjustment procedure” shall clearly describe how the escalator or moving walk brakes must be adjusted and checked.
   The “brake adjustment procedure” shall, at minimum:
   1. include all information provided on the existing brake data tag;
   2. include detailed instructions for setting the escalator/moving walk brake;
   3. include the method of checking the brake setting, such as the “minimum torque”, or the “maximum spring length”, or other methods;
   4. include the maximum no-load stopping distance in the down direction as related to the manufacturer’s specified brake torque, spring length, etc. (Where this information is missing and cannot be obtained from the original manufacturer, it is acceptable for a professional engineer licensed in British Columbia to determine the no-load stopping distance); and
   5. be made available in the upper escalator pit or in the machine space of the moving walk.
       
3. Brake stopping distance
   
   The escalator/moving walk stopping distance shall be verified by the maintaining contractor during each scheduled maintenance visit and the results of the test shall be recorded in the maintenance log book.
    
4. Stopping distance sign
   
   A “daily stopping distance check” sign shall be affixed at each end of the escalator/moving walk near the stop button or start switch. It shall state the following:

The stopping distance shall be determined by rounding the required no-load stopping distance, as determined by 2(d) of the brake adjustment procedure detailed above, up to the nearest full step increment. The stopping distance shall serve as a guide to authorized personnel (see definition above) who are performing the daily stopping distance check.

The daily stopping distance check sign must be made of durable material and construction so that letters etched, stamped, cast, or otherwise applied to the face will remain permanently legible. The lettering shall be at least 3 mm (0.125 inches) in height.

Elevating Device Asset Owner Requirements:

SECTION 2: Escalator/moving walk daily start-up:

Elevating device owners (asset owners), or their agent, are hereby ordered to undertake all activities as described in this section.

1. Owners of escalators and/or moving walks shall ensure all of the following:
   1. Prior to allowing the use of the escalator or moving walk by the public, a daily start-up check of escalators and/or moving walks shall be performed by designated authorized personnel.
   2. An owner shall designate authorized personnel to perform the start-up of escalators and moving walks.
   3. A record of designated authorized personnel who have been trained to complete the start-up procedure shall be kept on the premises where the escalator(s) and/or moving walk(s) is located. That record shall be kept up-to-date and be available for Technical Safety BC to review upon request.
   4. Escalators and moving walks shall be started up only by authorized personnel who have been trained in the start-up procedure. These authorized personnel are the only individuals who may perform the daily start-up check.
   5. A daily start-up log (i.e., that includes copies of the Escalator / Moving Walk Start-Up Checklist Guide attached to this safety order) shall be filled out daily by the same authorized personnel who performed the start-up check.
   6. The daily start-up log required by this safety order must be maintained in a clear and legible state, contain records of checks for the previous12 months, and be kept on the premises where the escalator(s) and/or moving walk(s) is located. This log shall be made available to Technical Safety BC for review upon request.
   7. Any required actions, as specified in the attached Escalator / Moving Walk Start-Up Checklist Guide shall be undertaken by authorized personnel. Actions may include, but are not limited to removing the escalator/moving walkway from service and notifying the maintenance contractor.
   8. Where escalators and moving walks are subject to continuous 24-hour operation, they shall be stopped and started daily in order for the Escalator / Moving Walk Start-Up Checklist Guide to be completed.

      Note:Records required by this safety order may be kept in either hard copy or electronic format but must be made readily available to Technical Safety BC upon request.

Daily stopping distance checks:

Owners of escalators and/or moving walks shall ensure all of the following:

1. As part of the daily start-up checks, a daily stopping distance check shall be completed by authorized personnel. The authorized personnel completing the start-up check shall verify that the escalator/moving walk stops within the specified distance indicated on the posted “daily stopping distance check” sign.
2. The results of the stopping distance test shall be recorded in the Escalator / Moving Walk Start-Up Checklist Guide.
3. Where escalators or moving walks are provided a braking distance monitor and comply with the requirements of section 6.1.6.7 or 6.2.6.8, the daily stopping distance check shall not be required.

Details of Ordering Safety Manager or Safety Officer – Please read below.

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.

Nav Chahal,
Provincial Safety Manager – Transportation

Safety Standards Act:

Safety Orders
31 (1) To prevent, avoid or reduce risk of personal injury or damage to property, a provincial safety manager may, in writing, issue a safety order.
(2) A safety order may be issued to any person in relation to any of the following:
(a) regulated work or regulated products generally;
(b) a specific class of regulated product or regulated work;
(c) a specific regulated product or regulated work.
(3) For certainty, a safety order issued under this section may apply to
(a) regulated work that meets the requirements under this Act,
(b) regulated work that previously met the requirements under this Act or a former Act but does not meet the current requirements under this Act,
(c) regulated products that meet the requirements under this Act, or
(d) regulated products that previously met the requirements under this Act or a former Act but do not meet the current requirements under this Act, including a regulated product that bears a certification mark.
(4) A safety order may specify any requirement that is intended to prevent, avoid or reduce the risk of personal injury or damage to property and may include any of the following orders:
(a) that an existing regulated work or regulated product must be made safe in compliance with the safety order;
(b) that a regulated product must be
(i) disconnected from a power source,
(ii) uninstalled, or
(iii) modified before continued use;
(c) that a regulated product must be operated, installed, manufactured or disposed of only as specified or that a regulated product must not be moved;
(d) that current or future regulated work or a regulated product must conform to the terms or conditions of the order;
(e) that a person take or refrain from taking any action that a safety manager considers necessary to prevent, avoid or reduce a risk of personal injury to persons or damage to property;
(f) that the manufacturer make reasonable efforts to recall the regulated product.
(5) The provincial safety manager must give written notice of the safety order to the following persons:
(a) the manufacturer of the regulated product;
(b) an owner of the regulated product if the identity of the owner is known to the provincial safety manager;
(c) the person in charge of the regulated work.
(6) The notice must state the reasons for the decision and that the person has the right to appeal the decision to the 
appeal board.
(7) Despite section 54, a safety order may not be stayed during an appeal.

References:
Safety Standards Act
Escalator/Moving Walk Start-Up Checklist Guide (FRM-1595)