Vandalism is a major concern for lift owners; damage through misuse and abuse impacts both the availability of lifts, and passenger safety. EN81-71:2018 is a harmonised European Standard which outlines additional protective measures to improve the vandal resistance of lift installations.
EN81-71 Vandal-Resistant elevator standards can be applied to any lift installed in, or intended for, a building where vandalism is a known issue or vandal attacks are likely.
Criteria to consider when determining the likelihood of vandal activity as outlined in Annex A of EN81-71:
EN81-71 outlines three categories of vandal resistance and how to test lift-part supplies for compliance with its elevator safety standards. Each lift car fixture, part and supply must remain functional after typical acts of vandalism.
Category 0 – To meet ‘Cat 0’, fixtures need to comply with the requirements of EN81-20:2014.
Category 1 – In addition to the requirements of Cat 0, all car fixtures must be secured with tamperproof fixings. Fixtures must be able to withstand three impacts from a 1kg impactor, from a height of 0.2m at the weakest point of the lift component (as defined by the manufacturer). Fixtures must be able to withstand a flame being applied to the area most likely to be affected by flame for 60 seconds.
Category 2 – In addition to the requirements of Cat 0 all car fixtures must be secured with fixings which are not visible to lift users. Fixtures must be able to withstand three impacts from a 1kg impactor from a height of 1.0m at the weakest point of the lift component (as defined by the manufacturer). Fixtures must be able to withstand a flame being applied to the area most likely to be affected by flame for 120 seconds.
In order to pass the impact and flame tests, the elevator lift parts must also remain safe to use after vandal tampering (i.e. no sharp edges after a vandal’s attempt to break or pry something open) and functional.
Regarding flame tests: in addition to enduring flame-exposure, the material of the lift component or fixture shall self-extinguish, and any resulting discolouration can not obliterate any of the lift part’s written instructions or symbols.
Regarding lift display screens: When flame testing lift-display screens, a permanent discoloration of the lens, obscuring lift information being displayed, will cause the lift-display screen to fail a flame test.
For more information about vandal-resistant lift components that meet the elevator safety standards outlined in EN81-71 , please contact your local sales office
Matt Davies is the Market Insight and Innovation Manager for the Americas and EIMEA territory at Avire, a leading provider of safety and communication equipment for the lift industry, and including the leading brands of Memco, E-Motive, Janus, TL Jones and Microkey. Matt can be contacted via LinkedIn or please fill out a contact form.