The elevator is one of the most controversial elements of any community of owners. Now a new focus of conflict and spending opens up. Last April, a royal decree was published, approving the Complementary Technical Instruction ITC AEM 1, which requires increasing the safety of the existing elevator park. The cost to adapt can vary from 2,000 to 18,000 euros, according to calculations by the MP Elevators company. The Ministry of Industry estimates an impact of 708 million euros in the next seven years.
In Spain there are more than a million elevators and, starting in July, around 385,000 will have to improve their safety elements, according to data from the Spanish Elevator Business Federation (FEEDA). In the case of the Community of Madrid, of the 188,500 elevators that exist, approximately 25% will be affected. In Catalonia, the condition can be 45%. “Depending on the technology, characteristics, age and improvements that each facility has, the impact will be greater or lesser,” says José Carlos Frechilla, director of the federation. “It seems like a large number, but we have the largest fleet of elevators in our area and one of the oldest in Europe, since almost 50% of the elevators are more than 20 years old. We must guarantee that our elevators are safe,” argues Jesús Alberto Remesal, head of Business Development at MP Ascensores.
The regulations come into force on July 1, which does not mean that on that date all elevators have to be adapted. “The different security measures will be implemented based on the results of the periodic inspections, in which the inspector will determine whether or not the unit complies with the ITC, establishing from that moment deadlines to adapt the installation,” explains Frechilla. Marta Ladero, legal advisor at FEEDA, explains it: “Suppose that a facility that may need to be adapted has passed its inspection in April 2024 with a favorable result; “The next inspection would not pass until April 2028, in which the elements to be adapted would be detailed.” Instead, it will be six months in the event of an accident, one year from the last complementary technical inspection carried out by an authorized control body (OCA), and up to three or ten years for guides and balances.
In addition to bringing the safety of the oldest elevators closer to the most modern ones, this ITC regulates and better defines the responsibilities of the companies that are in charge of maintenance, being much more demanding, but also that of the owners, who, for example Now, they must monitor the expiration dates of the mandatory inspections, since, if they miss the date, the royal decree requires the elevator to be left out of service.
Prevent accidents
According to Ladero, “accidents such as those derived from the blows that the automatic doors can give us when entering or leaving the cabin or those caused by trips due to the difference in level between the elevator and the floor, which bring together 90% of the accidents, with the new regulations do not have to happen.” The main measures that will be improved in terms of safety and comfort are photocells (to prevent doors from opening and closing) and millimeter stops (to allow elevators to arrive at floor level, without steps). It also provides for the replacement of the cylindrical guides (sides where the elevators are hooked to the wall of the building) and those that are made of wood and, consequently, have greater deterioration. For example, “installing a photocell at the entire height of the door, instead of in two or three only points, will allow having sensors at almost the full height of the door. This way no child or pet escapes,” Remesal states.
Two-way communication—having a telephone in the cabin that connects to the elevator company for rescues due to entrapment—was previously considered mandatory, but now with the new ITC it is emphasized again. The focus is also placed on other extreme but possible cases, such as counterweights in patios or rooms of buildings other than the closed elevator shaft that, in the event of any breakage of cables, can cause the components to impact the places where they are located. , such as a patio of lights. “The increase in inspections, more exhaustive maintenance and the incorporation of new measures result in greater safety for users,” details Ladero.
And this ITC incorporates two inspections. The first, the one that a new elevator must pass before being put into service. The second, which must be carried out when the owner changes maintainer. The rest of the inspections will follow the same deadlines as until now, between two and four years, depending on the type of building and use. However, the elevators, in addition to these periodic inspections that are carried out through an authorized company that acts on behalf of the Administration, have monthly maintenance reviews carried out by conservative companies under the contracts they have signed with the community of owners. “The authorized control bodies themselves are aware that they are facing an overwhelming workload in the medium term,” says Remesal.
All in all, “the elevators installed with their inspection in force until now are safe equipment, because they have alternative security measures or specific maintenance protocols to guarantee that they are,” concludes Remesal.
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