| What is the PBC?
The performance based code (PBC) is “a code that sets standards based on performance expectations of the equipment rather than specifications of materials and designs.”
As part of the PBC, manufacturers are required to perform a risk assessments to show compliance with the safety standards for their designs, and the designs are reviewed and analyzed by an Accredited Elevator/Escalator Certifying Organization (AECO). Only elevator technologies and designs certified by an AECO as meeting safety code requirement will be allowed to move forward. And, even then, the local jurisdiction retains its authority to deny the use of the proposed PBC designs.
Elevator technology is constantly evolving, but, building developers in North America are limited in their ability to deploy state-of-the-art technologies in a timely manner due to prescriptive design limitations imposed by the Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, ASME A17.1/CSA B44.In state and jurisdictions without the PBC,, elevator manufacturers, building designers and regulatory authorities are forced to rely upon a variety of diverse state and local procedures to authorize alternative elevator technology an installation, or alternative technologies are not allowed all together. For at least one company, the current system requires it to obtain a variance in every jurisdiction without the PBC for the same technology each time a single installation is planned, which adds unnecessary costs and delays.
Starting in 2001, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) began to recognize that compliance with ASME A17.7/ CSA B44.7 – the Performance Based Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators ( PBC) would be equivalent to the current safety code and provide an alternative to the variance process when appropriate .
When adopted across the United States and Canada, the PBC will allow North America to keep up with state-of-the-art elevator technology while maintaining or exceeding the safety requirements under the current code.
Updated 23-Jan-12 |
