ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2016 – Safety Requirements for Personnel Hoists and Employee Elevators on Construction and Demolition Sites covers safety guidelines for the different mechanisms that can be used to transport employees between different building floors while that building is under construction or is set for demolition. This revision of the standard provides information on the testing, inspection, and operations of these hoists and elevators for spatial transport of personnel and equipment.
Construction elevators and hoists are temporary, but they must be designed with the upmost care to promote a safe and efficient working environment. Key considerations taken by the standard are the specifications and exact dimensions of the systems that are used to transfer employees between floors of a building undergoing construction. Topics related to this addressed by ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2016 include the structure of the hoists and elevators, doors and locking devices, and landings.
However, the physical dimensions of hoists and elevators are not the only concern with their usage, and overlooking other factors can be incredibly detrimental to the entire safety system. In June 2015, a construction worker fell 24 stories to his death in a midtown Manhattan construction site because he was inside an elevator that lost power from a faulty electrical system. ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2016 provides guidelines for the installation of electrical wires used to power the elevator so that the lift’s power is never compromised and the wires do not pose the risk of accidental contact by workers.
Personnel hoists and employee elevators are essential for the construction of most buildings, but they are even more important for the construction of taller buildings and skyscrapers, which introduce greater hazards to the personnel the higher the story they are working. Employee elevators will be a contributing factor to the safety of the workers and efficiency in the construction of the tallest buildings in the world in the future.
ANSI/ASSE A10.4-2016 is part of the ANSI/ASSE A10 Construction Package, a collection of standards devoted to employee safety at construction sites.
