European Committee for Standardization (CEN) devised a new standard, the so-called SNEL (Safety Norm for Existing Lift – EN 81-80), where 74 hazards were described in detail that must be taken into consideration while improving lift safety.

The new Norm accounts for the above mentioned principles.

A number of European Union countries have already introduced SNEL in their legislation (Belgium, France, and Spain) with transition periods form 1 to 15 years, depending on seriousness of the hazard in question. In the other countries, including Poland, works are under way to have it introduced.

SNEL Norm

• categorizes various hazards and dangers; each of those shall then be subject to risk analysis,
• is aimed at implementing corrective measures for continuous step-by-step improvement of safety of all the existing passenger and goods lifts and bringing their safety to currently acceptable level,
• provides for conducting inspection of each lift and makes it possible to identify and measure safety level in a manner corresponding to the frequency of occurrence and seriousness of each individual type of hazard,
• lists high, medium and low hazards and corrective measures that can be taken at various stages in order to eliminate these hazards.