USA

Elevator fleet

In the United States, there are about 1.2 million elevators and 36,000 escalators for a population of 333 million, while in neighboring Canada with a population of 39 million, there are about 100,000 elevators and 9,000 escalators. There are 19,000 companies operating in the US elevator market, and the number of people employed in the industry is 107,000. The companies with the largest market share in the field of elevator installation and maintenance in the US and Canada are expectedly global brands: KONE, OTIS, Schindler and TK Elevator. Urbanization of cities is growing at a steady pace - in 2020, North America accounted for 14% of the tallest building structures in the world. In addition, the installation of elevators in private homes is gaining popularity in the US.

Legislation

In North America, the combined elevator and escalator safety code is A17.1/CSA B44. In the United States, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) develops the ASME A17 elevator standard, while in Canada, the CAN/CSA B44 standard is managed by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). In Canada, B44 was based on A17 for a long time, but was not identical to it until the codes were harmonized in 2000, and elevator manufacturers doing business in both countries were finally able to produce to the same guiding standard. The first edition of A17 was published in 1921. As elevator technology and housing developments evolved, the need arose for revisions to the code: at first, the code was released every five years, but now it is reduced to three years. The A17 Code is divided into nine parts, each of which addresses requirements for the design, installation, and maintenance of various types of elevator equipment. To develop each revision of the A17 Code, ASME recruits volunteer experts from across the elevator industry. These experts are members of 28 working groups that report to the ASME Standards Committee. The elevator industry requirements described in the code are developed and maintained by representatives from a variety of disciplines, including equipment owners, manufacturers, installers, component suppliers, government agencies, insurers, and inspectors—a diversity of stakeholders that ensures a balance of interests is maintained. The Standards Committee meets three times a year in January, May, and September, along with working group meetings, many of which also meet in person and online throughout the year. Anyone can apply to participate in the development of a new version of the code, but only official committee members and their alternates have the right to vote on decisions. The new code becomes effective six months after the publication date, and ASME issues written responses to inquiries regarding interpretation of technical aspects of the code. The 23rd edition of the consolidated code will be released in 2022. Each state in the United States and province in Canada has its own elevator legislation, which is based on one of the editions of the code (the latest is A17.1-2019/CSA B44-19). There are areas where the latest edition of the code is automatically adopted by local legislation, but in most cases, the current state or provincial code is several editions behind. In addition, each state and province, through its own legislature, adopts its own codes for elevator equipment and maintenance. For this reason, it is important for elevator industry personnel to know which edition of the code and which codes apply in a particular state or province. Elevator technology is constantly evolving, but building architects in North America are still limited in their ability to incorporate the latest elevator technology. As an example, ASME only approved machine room-less elevators in 2007 (even though they had been commercially available since the late 1990s). Efforts are currently underway to “converge” the European standards EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 with ASME A17.1/CSA B44 in order to remove barriers to trade in elevator equipment by creating a global prescriptive standard that would be equivalent worldwide.

Elevator Associations

There are many different associations involved in the elevator industry in North America. We will briefly list the main ones here, and then look at some of them in more detail.

Labor organizations: Elevator Industry Workplace Safety Fund EIWPF (www.elevatorinfo.org), North American Builders Union NABTU (www.nabtu.org), International Elevator Electromechanical Union IUEC (www.iuec.org).

Associations of elevator manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors: National Elevator Industry NEII (www.nationalelevatorindustry.org), Canadian Elevator Contractors Association CECA (www.ceca-acea.org).

Educational associations: Elevator and Escalator Safety Foundation EESF (www.eesf.org), National Association of Elevator Contractors NAEC (www.naec.org). Other associations: International Association of Elevator Consultants IAEC (www.iaec.org), National Elevator Safety Association NAESAI (www.naesai.org).