EN 81-31:2024

Safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts - Lifts for the transport of goods only - Part 31: Accessible goods only lifts EN 81-31:2024

Publication date:   Dec 16, 2024

Scope

1.1 This document specifies the safety rules for new accessible goods only lifts with traction, positive or hydraulic drive, permanently installed and only used by users (see 3.57), serving fixed and permanent landing levels, having a carrier made of a single load carrying area, designed for the transportation of goods only, moving along a fixed path by rigid guide rails and inclined not more than 15° to the vertical, with rated speed not exceeding 1 m/s.
This document covers accessible goods only lifts with rated load exceeding 300 kg and not intended to transport persons.
1.2 For the purpose of this document, a goods only lift carrier is regarded as accessible where one of the following conditions is satisfied:
a) floor area of the carrier is greater than 1,0 m2;
b) depth of the carrier is greater than 1,0 m;
c) clear height of the carrier is greater than 1,20 m.
In case the carrier is without a roof, it is considered accessible when the clear height of the landing doors is greater than 1,20 m.
1.3 Two types of accessible goods only lifts are addressed:
a) Type A, where the intended use is bound to the maximum rated speed of 0,30 m/s;
b) Type B, where the intended use is bound to the maximum rated speed of 1,0 m/s.
1.4 In addition to the requirements of this document, supplementary requirements are to be considered in special cases (operation subject to ATEX rules, operational in ambiental condition not addressed by this standard, seismic conditions, transporting dangerous goods, etc.).
1.5 This document does not cover:
a) accessible goods only lifts:
1) with more than one lift machine;
i) where loading and unloading is automated, or the carrier floor is fitted with mobile devices (e.g. rollers) for loading and unloading purposes;
ii) intended to carry bulk loads (such as loose sand, gravel, etc.);
iii) with drive systems other than those stated in 4.8;
b) lifting tables according to EN 1570-1 and EN 1570-2;
c) lifting appliances, such as appliances with more than one carrier, skips, goods only lifts for construction sites, for underground applications, mine winding gear, goods only lifts on seagoing vessels and mobile offshore units, construction and maintenance appliances in wind turbines, goods only lifts specially designed and constructed for research purposes for temporary use in laboratories, goods only lifts specially designed and constructed for military or police purposes;
d) safety during operation of transport, erection, repairs and dismantling of accessible goods only lifts;
e) the use of translucent material for the walls of the well and machinery spaces, for the carrier with the exception of the landing doors vision panels;
f) the use of programmable electronic systems in safety related applications for lifts (PESSRAL);
g) hydraulic lifts where the setting of the pressure relief valve exceeds 50 MPa;
h) any form of radiation except EMC;
i) fire propagation;
j) energy dissipation type buffers;
k) the possibility of two simultaneous acts of imprudence and/or the abuse of instructions for use.
l) ambient temperature in the well and machinery spaces lower than +5 °C and higher than +40 °C;
m) health and safety of animals.
However, this document can usefully be taken as a basis.
Noise and vibrations are not dealt with in this document as they are not considered a significant nor relevant hazard for the actual type of the accessible goods only lifts.
1.6 The requirements of this document are such that the possibility of a failure of an electric safety device or a safety component complying with all the requirements of this document needs not to be taken into consideration.
1.7 This document is not applicable to accessible goods only lifts which were manufactured before the date of its publication as EN.

Related legislation

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