A lift is not simply a machine installed inside a building. Its safety depends on the coordinated operation of the carrier, suspension and supporting systems, doors, controls, braking and stopping devices, overspeed protection, buffers, electrical systems, shaft interfaces and the building into which the lift is installed.
Directive 2014/33/EU establishes the European conformity framework for lifts and specified safety components for lifts. It applies to lifts permanently serving buildings and constructions and to the safety components identified by the Directive.
The Directive distinguishes between the responsibilities of the installer of a lift and the manufacturer of a safety component for lifts. This distinction is important because conformity assessment, technical documentation, declarations and CE marking responsibilities differ according to whether the product is the completed lift or a safety component supplied for incorporation into a lift.
Lifts must satisfy the applicable Essential Health and Safety Requirements before being put into service. Depending on the conformity route selected, a Notified Body performs activities such as design or type assessment, final inspection, unit verification, quality-system assessment and surveillance.
This GAR Insight explains lift scope, safety components, Essential Health and Safety Requirements, design interfaces, harmonised standards, conformity assessment, Notified Body involvement, technical documentation, declarations and CE marking.
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Explore lift scope, safety components, Essential Health and Safety Requirements, harmonised standards, installation interfaces, conformity assessment, technical documentation and CE marking.
Understanding Directive 2014/33/EU
Directive 2014/33/EU establishes harmonised requirements for lifts and safety components for lifts within its scope. It replaced the previous Directive 95/16/EC and has applied since 20 April 2016.
The legislation addresses both the safety of complete lift installations and specified safety components placed separately on the Union market.
Which Lifts Fall Within the Directive?
Directive 2014/33/EU applies to lifts permanently serving buildings and constructions and intended for the transport of persons, persons and goods, or goods alone where the carrier is accessible and fitted with controls situated inside the carrier or within reach of a person inside it.
Passenger Lifts
Lifts intended principally to transport persons between defined levels of a building or construction.
Passenger & Goods Lifts
Lifts designed to transport both persons and goods within the conditions established by the Directive.
Certain Goods Lifts
Goods-only lifts can fall within scope where the carrier is accessible and its controls can be operated by a person inside.
Permanently Installed Systems
The Directive concerns lifts permanently serving buildings and constructions rather than temporary lifting installations.
Specific equipment is excluded from the Directive, including certain construction-site hoists, cableways, mine-winding gear, military or police lifts, theatrical elevators and escalators and mechanical walkways.
Safety Components for Lifts
The Directive also identifies safety components that are subject to conformity assessment when placed separately on the market.
Landing-Door Locking Devices
Devices intended to prevent unsafe opening or operation of landing doors.
Devices Preventing Falls or Uncontrolled Movement
Safety devices that act when suspension or supporting arrangements fail or uncontrolled movement occurs.
Overspeed Limiting Devices
Components intended to detect and respond to excessive lift speed.
Energy-Accumulating Buffers
Applicable buffer systems designed to limit consequences of excessive travel.
Energy-Dissipating Buffers
Devices designed to absorb and dissipate energy during abnormal lift travel.
Safety Devices on Hydraulic Circuits
Safety components fitted to hydraulic power circuits where their function is addressed by the Directive.
Electric Safety Devices
Certain electrical safety devices, including safety circuits containing electronic components, are covered.
Essential Health & Safety Requirements
Lifts and applicable safety components must satisfy the Essential Health and Safety Requirements established in Annex I of the Directive.
Carrier Safety
The carrier must provide appropriate space, strength and protection for its intended loading and users.
Suspension & Support
Suspension and supporting arrangements must provide adequate safety under intended load and operating conditions.
Movement Control
Lift movement, acceleration, stopping and levelling must be appropriately controlled.
Doors & Access
Landing and carrier doors must protect persons against falls, crushing and unsafe access.
Protection Against Free Fall
Appropriate protective measures must address risks arising from suspension failure or uncontrolled movement.
Fire-Related Considerations
Applicable materials and door characteristics must address relevant fire-safety requirements.
Electrical Safety
Electrical equipment and safety circuits must be appropriately designed and protected.
Emergency Conditions
Arrangements must allow appropriate response when users become trapped or normal operation fails.
Instructions
Appropriate documentation must support safe use, maintenance, inspection and rescue activities.
Carrier, Doors & Access Safety
Many of the most serious lift hazards occur at the interface between the moving carrier, landing doors and the surrounding building.
Carrier Strength
The carrier should possess sufficient mechanical strength and space for the maximum number of persons and rated load.
Landing Doors
Access to the lift well should be controlled so that users are protected from falling into the well or contacting moving parts.
Door Interlocking
Lift operation and door status must be appropriately interlocked to prevent hazardous movement or access.
Crushing & Shearing
Closing doors and moving lift components must address foreseeable crushing and shearing hazards.
Levelling
Appropriate levelling at landings helps reduce trip and access hazards.
Accessibility
Applicable design and installation requirements should consider safe and appropriate use by intended passengers.
Suspension, Drive, Overspeed & Stopping Safety
The lift must remain under controlled movement during normal operation and provide protective measures when foreseeable failures or abnormal conditions occur.
Suspension
Suspension arrangements must be suitable for the rated load, configuration and intended operating conditions.
Drive System
Traction, hydraulic or other drive arrangements must provide controlled movement and stopping.
Braking
Braking systems must reliably stop and hold the carrier under relevant operating conditions.
Overspeed Protection
Applicable devices must detect and limit hazardous excessive speed.
Uncontrolled Movement
Protective arrangements should prevent or limit unintended movement capable of endangering passengers.
Buffers
Buffer systems provide protection where movement extends beyond the intended normal operating range.
The Building & Lift Interface
Lift conformity cannot be established solely from factory-produced components because the completed lift is installed within a specific building or construction.
Lift Well
Dimensions, clearances and construction of the lift well must correspond with the lift design.
Pit & Headroom
Available protective spaces and clearances influence safety during normal use and maintenance.
Structural Loads
Forces transmitted to the building by guides, machinery, suspension and buffers must be appropriately considered.
Landing Interfaces
Landing openings, doors and surrounding construction must correspond with the certified lift arrangement.
Electrical Supply
Electrical installation and interfaces must support the lift’s safe operating and protective functions.
Installation Coordination
Information must be exchanged between the parties responsible for the building and the installer so that interface risks are controlled.
Harmonised Standards & the EN 81 Family
Harmonised European standards provide detailed technical solutions that can support conformity with the Essential Health and Safety Requirements of Directive 2014/33/EU.
Lift Design
Standards address general construction and installation requirements for passenger and goods-passenger lifts.
Component Testing
Specific standards address design rules, calculations, examinations and tests for lift components.
Accessibility
Applicable standards address accessibility and usability characteristics for particular lift applications.
Fire-Related Applications
Additional standards can apply to fire-fighting lifts, fire-resistance characteristics and other specialised situations.
Existing Buildings
Particular technical provisions may be relevant where new lifts are installed in existing buildings with physical constraints.
Special Applications
Additional standards address specialised lift configurations, environments and safety functions.
This distinction is particularly important during standards transitions. A newly published European or international standard may technically represent the latest state of standardisation while an earlier cited standard continues to provide the formal presumption of conformity under the Directive.
↑ Back to Article GuideConformity Assessment of Lifts
Before a lift is put into service, the installer must complete one of the conformity assessment procedures permitted by Directive 2014/33/EU.
Different routes allow conformity to be established through combinations of type or design assessment, quality-system controls, final inspection or verification of an individual lift.
Type-Based Routes
A lift design corresponding to an examined type can be followed by an applicable final conformity procedure for the installed lift.
Design Examination
Certain conformity strategies include independent assessment of the lift design before installation conformity is completed.
Final Inspection
The completed installed lift can undergo final inspection by a Notified Body under the applicable procedure.
Unit Verification
A complete individual lift can be assessed through a unit-verification procedure where the selected route permits it.
Product Quality Assurance
Applicable procedures can use an assessed quality system to support conformity of installed lifts.
Full Quality Assurance
The Directive also provides quality-system-based conformity routes covering broader installer activities where applicable.
Conformity Assessment of Lift Safety Components
Safety components placed separately on the Union market undergo their own conformity assessment before the manufacturer applies CE marking.
Type Assessment
Applicable conformity routes can involve EU-type examination of a representative safety-component design.
Production Conformity
Manufactured components must continue to correspond with the assessed design and applicable requirements.
Product Checks
Certain conformity routes provide for checks of safety components under Notified Body supervision.
Quality Assurance
Approved quality-system routes can be used where permitted by the Directive.
The Role of the Notified Body
Notified Bodies designated under Directive 2014/33/EU perform the independent conformity assessment activities required by the selected procedure.
Design or Type Examination
The Notified Body can evaluate representative designs or types where the conformity route requires this.
Final Inspection
The completed installation can be examined and tested before the lift is put into service.
Unit Verification
Individual lift installations can be assessed where the applicable conformity procedure permits unit verification.
Quality-System Assessment
The Notified Body can assess and approve relevant installer or manufacturer quality systems.
Surveillance
Quality-system-based routes can involve continuing surveillance after initial approval.
Certificates
Applicable certificates and decisions form part of the evidence supporting conformity.
Lift Technical Documentation
Technical documentation should provide sufficient information to demonstrate how the lift or safety component satisfies the applicable requirements and corresponds with the configuration assessed for conformity.
EU Declaration of Conformity & CE Marking
After the applicable conformity assessment has been satisfactorily completed, the required declaration is drawn up and CE marking is applied before the lift is put into service or the safety component is placed on the market.
Lift Installer
The installer assumes responsibility for conformity of the completed lift with the applicable Directive requirements.
Safety-Component Manufacturer
The manufacturer assumes responsibility for conformity of the safety component placed on the market.
EU Declaration
The applicable EU Declaration of Conformity records the responsible economic operator and conformity basis.
CE Marking
CE marking is applied after the applicable conformity assessment procedure has been completed.
Notified Body Number
Where required by the relevant conformity procedure, the identification number of the Notified Body accompanies CE marking.
Traceability
Lift and component identification should connect the physical installation or product to its conformity documentation.
Common Lift Compliance Failures
| Common Issue | Why It Creates Risk |
|---|---|
| Incorrect Directive scope | Equipment may be assessed as a lift even though a different regulatory framework applies, or vice versa. |
| CE-marked components treated as approval of the complete lift | Component conformity does not demonstrate safe integration of the completed installation. |
| Building dimensions differ from approved design | Pit, headroom, shaft or landing differences can change safety clearances and installation conformity. |
| Uncontrolled safety-component substitution | The installed product may no longer correspond with the design and evidence assessed for conformity. |
| Controller or software changes after assessment | Changes may affect safety circuits, door logic, levelling, braking or other safety functions. |
| Using a newly published but not yet cited standard as automatically harmonised | Presumption of conformity depends on the applicable OJEU citation. |
| Incorrect Notified Body scope | The conformity assessment body may not be notified for the particular Directive activity being performed. |
| Incomplete final-installation testing | Factory evidence alone may not demonstrate conformity of the installed lift within its actual building. |
| Incomplete technical documentation | The installer may be unable to demonstrate how the completed lift satisfies applicable requirements. |
| Installation differs from conformity documentation | The physical lift put into service may no longer correspond with the design or conformity route on which CE marking is based. |
From Lift Design to Demonstrable European Conformity
Successful lift compliance begins before installation. The lift configuration, intended use, rated load, speed, suspension system, drive arrangement, shaft requirements, doors, safety components and building interfaces should be established early enough for conformity requirements to influence the engineering design.
The installer can then determine the applicable Essential Health and Safety Requirements, select relevant harmonised standards, establish the conformity assessment route and coordinate the required Notified Body activities.
During installation, technical control becomes equally important. Safety-relevant changes should be evaluated rather than treated simply as construction or procurement modifications.
Finally, the completed lift should be inspected, tested and documented in the configuration that will actually be placed into service.
The Safety Question
Does the completed lift provide appropriate protection against falls, crushing, uncontrolled movement, excessive speed, access hazards, electrical hazards and foreseeable failure conditions?
The Conformity Question
Can the installer demonstrate that the lift actually placed into service corresponds with the design, safety components, standards, technical documentation and conformity procedure on which its CE marking is based?