The concept of the elevator has been around for centuries.  Early “elevator” designs were in use during the Middle Ages and can be traced back to the third century BC and ancient Greek engineers such as Archimedes. They were operated by animal and human power or by water-driven mechanisms. 

The “modern” elevator has its roots in the late 18th and early 19th century.  The first power elevators were driven by steam or hydraulic plungers that would lift a platform sitting directly on top of the plunger.  The first traction elevators were developed in the UK at the beginning of the 19th century.  These lifts used leather belts or ropes and pulley systems to move platforms through floor cavities, and were designed to move materials in factories and warehouses.  Without any enclosures for the lifts or the machinery these elevators would today be considered a safety hazard.

The power elevator debuted in the mid-19th century in the US and in 1853, Elisha Otis was at a New York exposition demonstrating an elevator with a "safety" to break the car's fall in case of rope failure, a defining moment in elevator development.  Car design, motor technology and control methods evolved rapidly.  

Over the years, as elevators gained popularity and technology led to faster and higher elevators, safety became an increasingly important issue.

Due to these safety concerns the Elevator Manufacturing Association, now National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII), published “Uniform Regulation for the Construction and Installation of Elevators” in 1917.  Around this time the American Society of Mechanical Engineers began working with the elevator industry, insurance industry and government authorities to develop uniform safety requirements for elevators.  In 1921 the first edition of the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, ASME A17.1, was published in a small pamphlet.

As technological advancements were made, the prescriptive requirements in ASME A17.1/CSA B44 were expanded, edited and rewritten.  Since its initial publication, the code has evolved from a 25-page pamphlet to a large book with more than 400 pages, and it continues to evolve today.