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Personnel safety beam in elevator shaft

T

Tim Mailloux

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Feb 12, 2018
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Hartford CT
About 5 or 6 years ago I had several projects under construction with new elevators in the project scope here in Connecticut, during each of those projects the local building officials informed me that in addition to the standard elevator hoist beam, we needed to provide an additional personnel safety beam for elevator workers to tie off too. The logic being that the person working on the elevator had to be tied off to a different structural point that the elevator cab during service. Since those projects I have just routinely shown this second personnel safety beam in my contract documents, usually a 5x5 steel tube located near the elevator door at the top of the shaft. I have even seen this personnel safety beam on some preliminary drawings from various elevator Mfrs., But I have not found anything concrete in the building code stating this second personnel safety beam is required. Is there a requirements for a second personally safety beam, if so is it a building code requirement, an OSHA requirement or other?
 
I could not find anything like that in ASME A17.1. I searched OSHA and could not find anything close to what you're describing. Could Connecticut have their own state OSHA or elevator code amendments?
 
I had a conversation with a contact at one of the big Elevators Mfrs, one of my current projects just happens to be a major renovation to their local service center.

To paraphrase his email, this second personnel safety beam we have been adding on projects boils down to an OSHA fall protection requirement and not a building code requirement. OSHA regs 1926.502(d)(15), where workers exposed to a fall potential in excess of 10 feet (my recollection, it might be 6 these days) shall be tied off to a structure capable of sustaining shock loading of 5,000 pounds and shall NOT be used for suspending hoisted loads or platforms unless the fall protection can satisfy 1926.502(15)(i) and (ii).

OSHA doesn’t specifically state the means of tie off for the fall protection which could be accomplished in a number of different ways. In a CMU elevator shaft the easiest method being a small mason set steel beam. The elevator hoist beam CAN be used as a hoist / platform tie off and a personnel tie off as long as its designed to meet to loads and requirements of both uses. In the end its cheaper to add a several hundred dollar piece of 5”x5” HSS tube steel than to pay a structural engineer to run the calculations.
 
Since this is an OSHA requirement the building official does not have authority to enforce it. I would consider this a contractor means and methods issue. If the contractor wants to add a permanent member for this purpose the engineer could show a beam designed based on criteria provided by the contractor.

A shock loading of 5000 pounds will likely result in a larger member than required to support a 500 pound load.
 
You only need to have the beam engineered once, and you can make it your standard.

The typical W8x10 hoist beam can support a little over 6000 lb. at the center of a 9 ft. span. It should be less costly to increase it to a W8x13 or 18 than to add a tube section.
 
I suspect that the tube may still be cheaper because by using it you suppress certain failure modes meaning that the support detail may be less complex since you do not need to brace the top flange.
 
Tim Mailloux said:
...and shall NOT be used for suspending hoisted loads or platforms unless the fall protection can satisfy 1926.502(15)(i) and (ii)...
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Seems to me that most hydraulic elevators use their hoistbeam only once, during initial construction. Thereafter, it has no ongoing function for a hoisted load, and the fall protection can be met with the hoistway beam.
 
Tim Mailloux said:
About 5 or 6 years ago I had several projects under construction with new elevators in the project scope here in Connecticut, during each of those projects the local building officials informed me that in addition to the standard elevator hoist beam, we needed to provide an additional personnel safety beam for elevator workers to tie off too. The logic being that the person working on the elevator had to be tied off to a different structural point that the elevator cab during service. Since those projects I have just routinely shown this second personnel safety beam in my contract documents, usually a 5x5 steel tube located near the elevator door at the top of the shaft. I have even seen this personnel safety beam on some preliminary drawings from various elevator Mfrs., But I have not found anything concrete in the building code stating this second personnel safety beam is required. Is there a requirements for a second personally safety beam, if so is it a building code requirement, an OSHA requirement or other?
Click to expand...
You need to go through the safety guidelines and see if its beneficial. If you find benefits of getting maximum safety in the lift then go for it!
 
OSHA 1926 is a standard for construction industry. One the building is built, it does not apply.
 
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