Washington State L&I Will No Longer Enforce ASME A17.3-2015
If you’ve been following our blog (of course you are!), you’re certainly up to speed on Washington State L&I A17.3 enforcement. It has been a hot topic within the industry and source of much uncertainty. This week, the State officially announced that they will not be enforcing 17.3 code.
What does this mean for you? It means nothing changes. There will be no retroactive code enforcement. No Door Lock Monitoring, Single-Bottom Jacks (although this is something worth planning for), Fire Service or any other upgrades required by this code.
Below you can read the official announcement from Gerald Brown from Washington State L&I.
The Elevator Program will no longer enforce American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) A17.3-2015. This will take effect immediately.
The agency approved this policy after a lengthy review. This message discusses the decision and how it affects you.
L&I’s policy includes Appendix A. These documents go hand-in-hand to maintain minimum safety standards for existing elevators installed prior to the year 2000. The appendix includes a careful selection of rules previously found in chapter 296-96-Part D of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC).
You will notice that not every WAC rule is retroactive. The appendix matches the selected items with those currently found in rule in WAC Part D. Inspectors will use the appendix as a guide when enforcing items based on ASME A17.1.
As a recap
Inspectors looking at conveyances installed on after the year 2000, will be business as usual. They will inspect with the ASME A17.2 guidelines but cite ASME A17.1 or current WAC rules.
Inspectors looking at conveyances installed before the year 2000, will be similar. They will inspect with Appendix A as the guideline but cite ASME A17.1 or current WAC rules.
Please note, we will handle extension requests under existing policies. Appendix A will not affect these requests.
Remember that these older elevators haven’t gotten any newer and have been subject to everything in Appendix A for many years. If you have any questions, please email ElevatorSect@Lni.wa.gov.
I look forward to working with you in keeping our riding public safe.
Thank you,
Gerald Brown
Elevator Chief, Field Services & Public Safety
Department of Labor & Industries
In case you’re interested in learning what could have been, you can read the out of date entries about A17.3 here:
ASME A17.3 - Say What?Washington State A17.3 Code Update & News!What is Elevator Door Lock Monitoring and What is Required by Code?As always, if you have any questions, please reach out to Sean.