Elevators and escalators safety

An "elevator" is a permanent hoisting and lowering mechanism with a car or platform that moves vertically in guides and serves two or more floors, and the rule explicitly excludes a list of other devices. See the definition in 1917.116(a).

• The standard excludes devices such as conveyors, tiering or piling machines, material hoists, skip or furnace hoists, wharf ramps, lift bridges, car lifts and dumpers from the elevator definition. (These items are not treated as "elevators" under 1917.116(a).)

An "escalator" is defined as a power-driven continuous moving stairway intended principally for transporting persons. See the definition in 1917.116(b).

• This definition emphasizes that escalators are continuous, powered moving stairways designed primarily for people rather than for moving cargo.

No—an elevator or escalator that has a defect affecting safety must not be used. See 1917.116(c).

• If a component or condition could affect the safe operation of the equipment (doors, brakes, leveling, guard mechanisms, etc.), the equipment must be taken out of service until repaired and safe to operate.

No—elevator safety devices must not be overridden or rendered inoperable. See 1917.116(d).

• Any action that defeats, bypasses, or disables required safety devices is prohibited because it defeats the equipment’s protection for employees.
• If a safety device must be modified for maintenance or a design change, follow applicable manufacturer guidance and approval requirements from other relevant standards or engineering review as appropriate (see, for example, guidance about equipment modification and manufacturer/engineer approval in OSHA letters such as 2004-12-21-0).

Elevators and escalators must be thoroughly inspected at least once every year, and additional monthly inspections for satisfactory operation must be done by designated persons. See 1917.116(e).

• Annual inspections must be thorough and should not exceed a 12‑month interval. Monthly checks are required to confirm satisfactory operation between annual inspections.

Monthly inspections must be conducted by persons designated by the employer to check for satisfactory operation. See 1917.116(e).

• The standard requires the employer to designate someone to perform the monthly operational checks; employers should ensure those designated persons are competent to identify unsafe conditions.
• As a practical matter, the employer is responsible for ensuring designated operators or inspectors can perform their duties without unscheduled interruptions that could affect safety (see related operator-capability guidance in OSHA’s 2013-09-13 letter).

Records of the results of the latest annual elevator inspection must be posted in the elevator, and records of annual escalator inspections must be posted in the vicinity of the escalator or be available at the terminal. See 1917.116(e).

• The regulation requires posting the latest annual inspection results so employees and inspectors can readily see that the equipment was inspected.

Elevator landing openings must have doors, gates, or equivalent protection in place when the elevator is not at that landing to prevent employees from falling into the shaft. See 1917.116(f).

• The required protection must prevent accidental falls into the elevator shaft at landings without the car present. Equivalent protections are acceptable if they provide the same level of fall prevention.

An elevator's maximum load limit must be posted conspicuously both inside and outside the car and must not be exceeded. See 1917.116(g).

• Post the load limit where users can easily see it (both inside and outside the car) and ensure lifts do not carry weights above that posted limit.

Elevators must be operated only by persons designated by the employer, except that automatic or door‑interlocking elevators that provide full shaft door closing and automatic car leveling may be operated without a designated operator. See 1917.116(h).

• If an elevator is manual and not of the fully automatic/door‑interlocking type described, the employer must limit operation to designated, authorized persons.

No—a material hoist is explicitly excluded from the definition of "elevator" under 1917.116(a). See 1917.116(a).

• The standard lists "material hoists" among devices that are not classified as elevators for the purposes of 1917.116.

No—the regulation specifically excludes car lifts and dumpers from the definition of "elevator." See 1917.116(a).

• Employers should treat car lifts and dumpers under whatever other standards apply to those devices rather than as elevators under 1917.116.

No—if an escalator has a defect that affects safety, it must not be used and should be taken out of service until repaired. See 1917.116(c).

• An identified safety‑affecting defect is not something to be deferred until the next scheduled monthly inspection; immediate corrective action is required.

Yes—temporary doors, gates, or an equivalent protection are acceptable so long as they provide the required protection when the elevator is not at that landing. See 1917.116(f).

• The protection must effectively prevent employees from falling into the shaft; temporary measures are permitted if they are equivalent in protecting workers from falls.

The standard requires that records of the results of the latest annual inspections be posted as specified, and it requires monthly inspections to be conducted by designated persons, but it does not prescribe posting or retaining specific monthly inspection records in 1917.116(e). See 1917.116(e).

• The rule explicitly requires posting the latest annual inspection results in the elevator or near the escalator; employers may still choose to keep written monthly inspection records as a good practice even though 1917.116(e) does not mandate posting monthly records.

If a safety device must be modified for maintenance, the employer must not override or make it inoperative and should follow the manufacturer's guidance or obtain appropriate professional approval before making changes. See 1917.116(d) and related OSHA interpretation on equipment modification approvals at 2004-12-21-0.

• Modifications that could affect safety typically require the manufacturer's prior written approval or review by a qualified professional engineer; do not bypass required safety devices without documented approval and safeguards.

No—employers should ensure that designated elevator operators are physically and mentally able to perform the assigned tasks without interruptions that could affect safety. See 1917.116(h) and the OSHA letter on operator capability at 2013-09-13.

• OSHA has advised that operators of hoisting equipment must be able to perform assigned tasks without unscheduled interruption that could create hazards; similarly, designated elevator operators should not be assigned duties they cannot reliably complete.

No—an employer must not allow the elevator to be loaded above its safe maximum load; posted load limits must reflect the elevator's safe capacity and must not be exceeded. See 1917.116(g).

• Posting a higher load than the equipment is designed for would create a safety hazard and violate the requirement that load limits be posted and not exceeded.

If annual escalator inspection records are not posted directly at the escalator, they must be posted in the vicinity of the escalator or be available at the terminal. See 1917.116(e).

• "Vicinity" means a nearby, readily accessible location where workers or inspectors can review the most recent annual inspection results.

Yes—a stuck door that prevents proper leveling or safe door operation is a defect that affects safety and the elevator must not be used until repaired. See 1917.116(c).

• Proper door operation and car leveling are basic safety features; problems with these functions create fall and entrapment hazards that require the equipment to be taken out of service.