On April 20, 2016, the European Commission issued the EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 elevator standards, and implemented a transitional period that will end on August 31, 2017. After this date, EN 81-1 + A3 and EN 81-2 + A3 standards will no longer be valid, and elevators will have to conform to the EN 81-20/50 standards as a whole, together with machine room, well and wellbore areas. EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 standards have made important compulsory innovations. The specialists of our industry have written articles and organized training sessions and seminars about the requirements of the new standards and the innovations they bring. I would like to thank all the sector members, specialists and institutions that have contributed to this matter. After many introductory and training sessions regarding the new standards, I do not think it is necessary to list all the innovations here again, but I think it would be useful to refer to some of the important changes. For example, the intensity of lighting required in machine rooms and in the well have been clarified. Other changes address requirements for machine maintenance on the cabin. At the bottom of the well, the conditions for the emergency stop button and maintenance control were determined. The characteristics of the well-bore stairway were clarified, and the conditions for the door to access the wellbore were specified. New conditions also have been identified for the upper areas of the cabins and the wellbore living spaces. The condition that floor doors must pass the pendulum test was laid down, as was the condition that the cabin door should not be opened until a certain force is applied out of the unlocking area. Moreover, the UCM is now a clearly defined security component. These are just some of the changes laid out in EN 81-20/50. These new standards aim to make elevators safer for users, maintenance personnel, and inspection/control personnel, and this goal will be achieved as soon as the new standards are applied correctly. But as the August deadline approaches, there are many questions yet to be answered: Are the elevator sector’s stakeholders – the people, institutions and companies that use elevators in work or in other situations – ready for the application of the new standards? Are construction projects that continue at a dizzying speed compatible with the new standards? Are projects still in the design stage being planned according to new standards? Have the manufacturers’ products been adapted and approved for the new standards while meeting the needs of the domestic market and the growing export markets, which are becoming more and more important to the industry every day? Are the sales, design, purchasing and assembly departments of elevator contracting and assembly companies ready to explain, design, buy and install the correct product in a sector where competition is very high and the installation periods are becoming more and more critical each day? These last two questions are important for me: Are the certification bodies, inspection bodies and the field experts who are responsible for the testing, certification and inspection of new lifts and components ready for new standards? And, in countries that implement the regulations and standards, are the enforcement authorities ready? We’ve asked a lot of questions, so let’s stop here. I do hope, however, that the relevant sector elements can easily say “yes” or take the necessary precautions to say yes for the above questions, and I wish for healthy and safe days ahead. http://www.elevatorworld.com.tr