34 Pa. Code Ch. 7 — Elevators, Lifts, Escalators, Dumbwaiters, Hoists and Tramways

§ 7.282. Speed and capacity. Belted and chain-driven freight elevators hereafter installed shall not have a rated speed of more than 75 feet per minute. When the car speed of electric and hydraulic freight elevators is in excess of 125 feet per minute, such installations shall be…

§ 7.283. Safety requirements. (a) Slack cable device. A slack cable device shall be used in connection with all power-driven freight elevator machinery of the winding drum type which will automatically shut off the power, apply the brake, and stop the machinery if the car is obst…

§ 7.284. Motive power. The motive power of all freight elevators shall be one of the following: (1) Direct-connected electric (drum or traction). (2) Hydraulic plunger. (3) Horizontal or vertical cylinder. (4) Single belted. (5) Silent chain. (6) Hand. (7) Gravity. Cross Referenc…

§ 7.285. Control apparatus. (a) Types. Permissible types of control for freight elevators are as follows: (1) New installations. The controlling mechanism of all new freight elevators shall be restricted to such types as car switch, automatic, double-button control, wheel or leve…

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS § 7.291. General. In addition to the special requirements of this section and § § 7.291—7.300 for various types of freight elevators, the general requirements contained in § § 7.271—7.285 and 7.31—7.37 shall also be complied with, except in cases of direct co…

§ 7.292. Electric freight elevators. (a) All electric freight elevators operated by polyphase alternating current motors shall be provided with relays of the potential type, or other approved devices, which will prevent the starting of the motor if the phase rotation is in the wr…

§ 7.293. Automatic and dual control freight elevators. (a) Automatic control freight elevators. Automatic control freight elevators shall not be constructed and installed unless a special permit has been obtained from the Department. Their use shall at all times be subject to spe…

§ 7.294. Double-button control freight elevators. (a) Permit. Double-button control freight elevators shall not be constructed and installed unless a special permit is obtained from the Department. Their use is at all times subject to special regulations applied to them by the De…

§ 7.295. Hydraulic freight elevators. Plunger and cylinder freight elevators, when possible, shall be constructed, installed, and operated in accordance with the requirements of § § 7.271—7.285 and 7.76, except that the requirement governing capacity does not apply to freight ele…

§ 7.296. Belted and silent chain drive elevators. (a) Worm gear. Newly installed single belted or chain drive elevators shall be of the worm gear type and be overbalanced by at least one third. (b) Counterweights. All cars shall be properly counterweighted, except that if existin…

§ 7.297. Hand elevators. (a) Car travel. New hand elevators shall not have a car travel in excess of four stories, or 60 feet. (b) Conversion to power drive elevators. No hand elevator shall be equipped with any attachments or equipment for applying power, unless the hoisting mac…

§ 7.298. Gravity elevators. (a) Car travel. New gravity elevators shall not have a car travel in excess of four stories, or 60 feet. (b) Bumpers. Gravity elevators shall be installed with bumpers which absorb the energy of the elevator car when descending at full speed under full…

§ 7.299. Automobile elevators. (a) New freight elevators for automobile service shall have a car platform of sufficient strength to support a load equal to 70% of the live load when concentrated equally at any two points, 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches apart on a line parallel with the ent…

§ 7.3. Penalty. Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter is subject to summary proceedings before an alderman, magistrate or district justice and upon conviction, shall be penalized as provided in section 16 of the act of May 2, 1929 (P. L. 1513, No. 451) (35…

§ 7.300. Electric or oil-electric platform elevators. Special requirements for electric or oil-electric platform elevators are the following: (1) The rise shall not exceed 20 feet. (2) The capacity shall not exceed 2,500 pounds. (3) The speed shall not exceed 30 feet per minute. …

SPECIFICATIONS—ALL HOISTING AND LOWERING EQUIPMENT § 7.31. Submission and approval of plans. (a) No elevator, dumbwaiter, escalator, gravity elevator, hoist or manlift shall be constructed and installed without a permit from the Department. The architect, contractor, owner or man…

§ 7.32. Fire prevention. (a) Skylights and windows. Skylights and windows in the enclosing walls of elevators shaftways shall be constructed of fixed metal sash and frame with wire glass. Existing skylights and windows shall be reconstructed of fire-resistive materials when, in t…

§ 7.321. Construction. (a) Angle of inclination. The angle of inclination of new escalators shall not exceed 30° from the horizontal. The Department may, in its discretion, require that the angle of inclination of existing escalators be lessened if such change is considered neces…

§ 7.322. Drive. (a) Motive power arrangement—all installations. Each escalator shall preferably be driven by an independent electric motor but under no circumstances shall more than two escalators be driven by one motor. The latter arrangement is permissible only when the two are…

§ 7.323. Capacity. The maximum capacity of newly installed escalators shall be determined as follows: (1) For escalators 24 inches or less in width, the maximum load shall equal 110 times the horizontally projected length of exposed treads in feet. (2) For escalators over 24 inch…

§ 7.324. Safety equipment. (a) Brakes. Each escalator drive shall be provided with an electrically-released, mechanically-applied brake which automatically stops the escalator if the circuit is opened. (b) Emergency stops. There shall be a button or other type of switch located i…

§ 7.325. Tests. The following tests shall be run on all new or rebuilt escalator installations: (1) Speed test. The application of the overspeed safety device where so equipped shall be obtained by causing the escalator to travel at the governor-tripping speed. With escalators dr…

§ 7.326. Prohibition—wheeled vehicles. Wheeled vehicles are not permitted on escalators.

§ 7.33. Operation of elevators under fire or other emergency conditions. (a) Automatic elevators serving three or more landings in line and having a travel of 25 feet or more above the lowest grade elevation, shall conform with the following: (1) A three position—on, off and by-p…

§ 7.34. Lighting and electric wiring. (a) The cars and landing floors or platforms of elevators, dumbwaiters, escalators, gravity elevators, hoists and manlifts shall be illuminated at all times of operation. The minimum intensity of illumination on the car and landing floors sha…

§ 7.341. Applicability. (a) New installations. This subchapter applies to all dumbwaiters except handpower dumbwaiters, the car floor of which is less than three square feet in area with a travel not over 12 feet and a rated capacity of not over 75 pounds. (b) Existing installati…

§ 7.342. Shaftway construction. (a) Fire-resistive enclosures shall be provided as follows: (1) New installations. The shaftways of dumbwaiters installed subsequent to December 15, 1924, with car travel of over two stories shall be of fire-resistive construction. (2) Existing ins…

§ 7.343. Landing doors and gates. (a) All installations. Shaftway entrances shall be provided with approved gates or doors, which may be of the vertical-sliding or rolling semiautomatic type or of the swinging hinged type. When shaftways are required to be of fire-resistive const…

§ 7.344. Machines and bearings. In all new installations, all overhead machinery for dumbwaiters shall be securely fastened to its supports. Overhead bearings, except for handpower dumbwaiters, shall be placed on the tops of the beams or structural parts to which they are secured…

§ 7.345. Cars. (a) The cars of newly installed dumbwaiters shall be of substantial construction. The horizontal cross sectional area shall not exceed 9 square feet and the compartment height shall not exceed 4 feet. The carrying capacity of dumbwaiter cars shall not exceed 500 po…

§ 7.346. Cables. (a) Power-driven dumbwaiters shall be provided with one or more iron or steel hoisting cables, equivalent tapes, or chains. If cables are exposed to corrosion, they shall be covered with marline or other equivalent protective covering. (b) The loads on hoisting c…

§ 7.347. Safety requirements. (a) No single-belted or chain-driven dumbwaiter shall have a car speed in excess of 50 feet per minute. No new power-driven dumbwaiter shall be operated by hand rope control. (b) New power-driven dumbwaiter machines of the winding drum type shall be …

§ 7.35. Electrical insulating floor mats. Floor matting of proper dielectric properties shall be provided extending the full length of all control and relay panels located at both the front and rear with a minimum width of 24 inches. Cross References This section cited in 34 Pa. …

§ 7.36. Data plates and numbering. (a) Metal plates with the permissible load in pounds marked on such plates shall be posted in a conspicuous place in the cars of all elevators. (b) Metal tags on which are stamped the diameter, stranding, date of installation or renewal, and mat…

MATERIAL HOISTS § 7.361. General requirements. (a) The employer shall comply with the manufacturer’s specifications and limitations applicable to the operation of all hoists and elevators. If manufacturer’s specifications are not available, the limitations assigned to the equipme…

§ 7.362. Operating rules. (a) Operating rules shall be established and posted at the operator’s station of the hoist. Such rules shall include signal system and allowable line speed for various loads. Rules and notices shall be posted on the car frame or cross-head in a conspicuo…

§ 7.363. Hoistway entrances. (a) All entrances of the hoistways shall be protected by substantial gates or bars which shall guard the full width of the landing entrance. (b) All hoistway entrance bars and gates shall be painted with diagonal contrasting colors, such as black and …

§ 7.364. Hoist towers. (a) Hoist towers may be used with or without an enclosure on all sides. However, whichever alternative is chosen, the following applicable conditions shall be met. (b) When a hoist tower is enclosed, it shall be enclosed on all sides for its entire height w…

§ 7.365. Safety. (a) Approved car safety devices shall be installed to function in case of wire rope failure. Safety devices shall be tested by certified inspector at each and every erection. (b) All material hoist towers shall be designed by a licensed professional engineer. (c)…

§ 7.37. Combination elevators. (a) Elevators intended for both freight and passenger service shall be constructed, installed and operated in conformity with the requirements for passenger elevators, except that counterbalanced biparting and vertical two-speed types of landing doo…

PERSONNEL HOISTS § 7.371. Hoist towers. (a) Hoist towers outside the structure shall be enclosed for the full height on the side or sides used for entrance and exit to the structure. At the lowest landing, the enclosure on the sides not used for exit or entrance to the structure …

§ 7.372. Doors Hoistway doors or gates shall be not less than 6 feet 6 inches high and shall be provided with mechanical locks which cannot be operated from the landing side, and shall be accessible only to persons on the car. Inside face of hoistway doors to be within 4 inches o…

§ 7.373. Cars. (a) Cars shall be permanently enclosed on all sides and the top, except sides used for entrance and exit, which have car gates or doors. Where landing platforms connect the shaftway to the building such platforms shall be constructed of material of ascertained soun…

§ 7.374. Ropes. (a) The minimum number of hoisting ropes used shall be three for traction hoists and two for drum-type hoists. (b) The minimum diameter of hoisting and counterweight wire ropes shall be 1/2-inch. (c) Minimum factors of safety for suspension shall conform with the …

§ 7.375. Safety. (a) Following assembly and erection of hoists, and before being put in service, an inspection and test of all functions and safety devices shall be made under the supervision of a Certified Commissioned Inspector. A similar inspection and full load test is requir…

§ 7.376. Nonenclosed towers. (a) When a hoist tower is not enclosed, the hoist platform or car shall be totally enclosed, that is, caged, on all sides for the full height between the floor and the overhead protective covering with 3/4-inch mesh of No. 14 U.S. gauge wire or equiva…

§ 7.377. Removal of ropes. Wire rope shall be taken out of service when any of the following conditions exist: (1) In running ropes, six randomly distributed broken wires in one lay or three broken wires in one strand in one lay. (2) Wear of 1/3 original diameter of outside indiv…

§ 7.378. Permanent elevators. Under the care and custody of the employer and used by employes for work covered by the act shall comply with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Regulations for Elevators, Escalators, Dumbwaiters, and Hoists, 1967, as amended.

§ 7.379. Drum hoists. (a) Exposed moving parts such as gears, projecting screws, setscrews, chain, cables, chain sprockets and reciprocating or rotating parts, which constitute a hazard, shall be guarded. (b) All controls used during the normal operation cycle shall be located wi…

§ 7.380. Use of freight elevators as hoists. (a) A new installation of a freight elevator, in a new building or one undergoing alterations, where the hatchways, enclosures and gates have not been completed, may be used as a builders’ hoist, provided the car is enclosed, the hatch…