EN81-71: Lift standards for Vandal Resistant Lift Components

Vandalism is a major concern for lift owners; damage through misuse and abuse impacts both the availability of lifts, and passenger safety. EN81-71:2005 is a harmonised European Standard which outlines additional protective measures to improve the vandal resistance of lift installations.

Do EN81-71 lift standards apply to my property?

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:

• Type of building:
  • Certain buildings (such as railway stations, sports stadiums, etc.) have been shown to be more prone to attack by lift vandals.
• A history of vandals in the area
• Wait time and travel time in the lift car
  • User frustration is a key cause of acts of vandalism
• Limited access to the property or use of the lift
  • Access control preventing unauthorised users from accessing the lift, potentially cause frustration-driven vandalism
• Low-traffic locations where users have solitary access to elevator lifts
  • Unobserved users are more likely to become vandals than those who are observed by others

How does EN81-71 affect the selection of lift components, parts and supplies?

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 EN81-1:1998 or EN81-2:1998 (at the time of writing a revision is expected which will point Cat 0 towards EN81-20:2017).

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.

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.