What is BS EN 81-82 – Accessibility of existing lifts for transport of persons with disability about?
More than four million lifts are in use today in the EU and EFTA, and almost 50 % were installed more than 25 years ago. Existing lifts were installed to the safety and accessibility level appropriate at that time. This level is less than today’s state of the art.
BS EN 81 is a European Standard which discusses safety rules for the construction and installation of lifts. The main objective of the BS EN 81 series is to provide best industry practices and recommendations to improve accessibility of lifts for person with disability and ensure the lifts are safe and reliable for their use.
BS EN 81-82 is one of the parts in the BS EN 81 series which discusses the special lifts for the transport of person with disability.
BS EN 81-82 provides rules on how to apply EN 81-70 referred to in EN 81-80:2003, 5.2.1 [4] to existing lifts to improve their accessibility for persons including persons with disability. 
BS EN 81-82 applies to permanently installed lifts serving defined landing levels, having a car designed for the transportation of persons or persons and goods and moving between guide rails inclined not more than 15° to the vertical.
Who is BS EN 81-82 - Accessibility of existing lifts for transport of persons with disability for?  
BS EN 81-82 on accessibility of existing lifts for transport of persons with disability is relevant to:  
- Lift designing/manufacturing companies
- Maintenance companies
- Quality control personnel 
- Building designers and architects 
- National authorities
Why should you use BS EN 81-82 - Accessibility of existing lifts for transport of persons with disability?  
The life cycle of a lift is longer than most other transportation systems and building equipment, which means that lift design, performance, safety and accessibility can fall behind modern technologies. If existing lifts are not upgraded to today's state of the art, the number of problems related to accessibility will increase as the proportion of the population with disabilities increases, thereby resulting in a less accessible environment for the society in general. With the freedom of movement of people within the EU for all users including users with disabilities, familiarity with the different installations is becoming more desirable. EN 81-82 has been prepared to address these issues.
BS EN 81-82 can be used by:
- National authorities to determine a specific programme of implementation
- Owners to follow their responsibilities according to existing regulations (e.g. national building regulations, anti discrimination acts)
- Maintenance companies and/or inspection bodies to inform the owners on the accessibility level of their installations
- Owners to upgrade the existing lifts on a voluntary basis if no regulations exist by making an audit of an existing lift installation
As a result, if you are a manufacturer of lifts controlled and used by the disabled, adopting BS EN 81-82 guidelines for requirements can ensure improved accessibility for their safe and reliable use.
