Lifts (CE) Certification

The Lifts Directive (2014/33/EU) governs lifts permanently serving buildings and construction works, and the safety components used in lifts. The directive has a distinctive feature: the obligation falls on both the party installing the lift (the installer) and the safety-component manufacturer, and they are subject to separate conformity-assessment routes. A notified body is involved in every case for lifts.

• Lift installation firms
• Manufacturers of lift safety components: locking devices, overspeed governors, safety gear, buffers, overspeed protection
• Manufacturers of lift cars, doors and drive systems
• Firms making a substantial modification to a lift

Mandatory, with notified-body involvement without exception. Options for the installer are: final inspection (Annex V), EU type examination + product quality assurance/verification of conformity, or full quality assurance (Annex XI). For safety components, EU type examination or full quality assurance routes apply; safety components additionally carry the CE mark.

• Scope: the lift definition, speed and use conditions; excluded lifting appliances
• Essential health and safety requirements (Annex I)
• The car: structure, the relationship between floor area and rated load, lighting, ventilation
• Suspension and support means, protection against overspeed
• The machine room and access, the possibility of rescue
• Doors, the locking device and protection at the door opening
• Electrical equipment and control; emergency communication
• Devices protecting against falling, crushing and free fall
• The list of safety components (Annex III) and their specific requirements
• Installation instructions, the user manual and the maintenance file
• Conformity-assessment modules: separate routes for the installer and the safety-component manufacturer

1. 1Determining the LegislationIt is determined which EU legislation applies to the product. A product can fall within scope of more than one piece of legislation at the same time; all of them must be met.
2. 2Selecting the Conformity Assessment ModuleThe legislation determines the module to follow according to the product's risk class. The manufacturer self-declares under some modules, while a notified body is involved under others.
3. 3Testing Against Harmonised StandardsConformity with harmonised standards published in the EU Official Journal is demonstrated through testing; this provides a presumption of conformity with the legislation.
4. 4Risk Analysis and the Technical FileThe risk assessment, design calculations, test reports, instructions for use and sample labels are compiled in the technical file.
5. 5The EU Declaration of ConformityThe manufacturer or its EU-based authorised representative signs the declaration of conformity. Responsibility rests with the signatory of the declaration.
6. 6Affixing the CE MarkThe mark is affixed to the product in the form and size the legislation prescribes; the notified body's identification number is added if one is involved.
7. 7Retaining the Technical FileThe technical file is retained for the period the legislation sets from the product's placing on the market (10 years under most legislation) and presented to the competent authority on request.

The CE mark is not a certificate but the manufacturer's declaration of conformity, and it has no expiry. However, the declaration remains valid as long as the product and the legislation do not change: the technical file must be updated if the legislation or the harmonised standard is updated. Notified-body certificates (e.g. an EU Type-Examination Certificate) are subject to a validity period.

• The product description, model list and technical drawings
• Risk assessment
• The list of harmonised standards applied
• Test reports
• Instructions for use and warning labels (in the target market's language)
• A draft EU Declaration of Conformity
• General-arrangement and shaft drawings for the lift
• Drive, suspension and brake-system calculations
• EU type-examination certificates for the safety components
• Electrical diagrams and the control circuit
• Installation, use and maintenance instructions
• Final-inspection and functional-test records

There is no fixed list price; the cost is calculated based on the following variables and provided in writing in the quote.

• The number of pieces of legislation applicable to the product
• The conformity-assessment module — whether a notified body is involved
• The required test scope and number of samples
• The current state of the technical file
• Translation and documentation needs

A Notified Body under CE is registered in the European Commission's NANDO database for the relevant EU regulation and carries a four-digit identification number. Notified body authority is based on legislation and product scope; The authority granted for one regulation does not extend to another. Testing is within the scope of ISO/IEC 17025, product certification is within the scope of ISO/IEC 17065.

The scope under which this scheme can be offered varies according to your product and activity; it is confirmed in writing at the quote stage.

• CECPR
• CEPPE
• CEMachinery Safety
• CELVD
• CEEMC
• CERED
• CEMDR
• CEIVDR