FEATURED ARTICLE
Lift Standards by Mark Relf and Eric Martin ACAA representatives on the ME-004 Lift committee
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s an observer of lift standards, the past 8 years have been similar to watching a train wreck in super slow motion waiting to happen. At last the first two trains have run off the accessibility tracks. Let us explain: in 2013 the Australian lift industry realised the first step in the globalization of lift standards by removing Australian Standard lift standards from the Building Code of Australia with modifications to table E3.6 by inserting a performance based descriptor to replace the referenced standards. • Stairway platform lift replaced the reference to AS 1735.7 • Inclined lift replaced the reference to AS 1735.8 • Low rise platform lift replaced the reference to AS 1735.14 • Low-rise, low-speed constant pressure lift replaced the reference to AS 1735.15 • Small sized, low-speed automatic lift replaced the reference to AS 1735.16 To the casual observer these changes seemed innocuous but belied what lay ahead as globalization meant adopting overseas standards regardless of the consistency with the requirements of the Australian Standards. In 2020 AS 1735.12 (1999) as we knew it was updated by adopting the European standard EN 81-70:2018 to become AS 1735.12:2020 Lifts, escalators and moving walks Part 12: Facilities for persons with disabilities (EN 81-70:2018, MOD). From an Australian perspective the important aspect is the “MOD” in the title, that refers to
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Appendices ZZ and ZA, which are normative modifications for Australian requirements. Like many European (EN CEN) and International (ISO) standards it is common for countries to adopt a national variation to suit local requirements, which is similar to state and territory variations to the National Construction Code (NCC). It should also be noted that the NCC and DDA Standards do not automatically reference the 2020 update of AS 1735.12. Importantly, Appendix ZZ Variations, paragraph 0.2 includes:
e) for Australian legal requirements, see the Disability (Access to Premises - Buildings) Standards 2010. A review of AS 1735.12:2020 will read as a confusing arrangement for Australia as the assumptions include several statements like;
National building regulations will not conflict with the provisions of this standard. Somewhat more confusing is the preface which includes;
This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by November 2018, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by May 2020. Ironically, neither the NCC or DDA Standards have reacted to this requirement, albeit this section is titled European Preface and is just a preface and Australia is not a listed country. It
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