Car door opening · cl. 5.3.15.2
Outside the unlocking zone, the car door must not open more than 50 mm under a 1,000 N force: mechanical door lock or opening restrictor.
Two complementary standards
EN 81-20 sets the construction and installation rules for passenger and goods passenger lifts. EN 81-50 defines how safety components are designed, calculated, checked and tested. They apply under European directive 2014/33/EU and protect two groups: users and the technicians who maintain the lift.
Safety of users
Door detection · cl. 5.3.6.2.1.1
If presence detection fails, the door closes at reduced speed with an audible signal, or the lift is taken out of service.
Fire resistance · cl. 5.4.4
Car materials rated at least Cfl-s2 for the floor, C-s2,d1 for the walls and C-s2,d0 for the ceiling.
Wall strength · cl. 5.4.3.2
Under 1,000 N, no permanent deformation above 1 mm; laminated glass walls pass hard and soft pendulum tests.
Door strength · cl. 5.3.5
Panel connections at 1,000 N, limited deformation under 300 N and 1,000 N, and a mechanical means keeps the panels in their guides on impact.
Car lighting · cl. 5.4.10.1
At least 100 lux 1 m above the floor in normal service, and 5 lux for 1 hour in emergency lighting.
Passenger evacuation · cl. 5.4.6.1
When an emergency trap door is fitted in the car roof, its clear opening is at least 0.40 × 0.50 m.
Brake self-monitoring · cl. 5.6.6.2
Each machine brake must be checkable; with the QI Touch controller, each brake is tested individually from the landing cabinet.
Machine certification · cl. 5.6.6.4
Upward overspeed protection may act on the traction sheave shaft under conditions; Sodimas machines hold a conformity certificate.
Shaft walls · cl. 5.4.2.2
Under 1,000 N, no permanent deformation above 1 mm and no elastic deformation above 15 mm.
Safety of technicians
Refuge spaces · cl. 5.2.5.7 and 5.2.5.8
At the top of the shaft and in the pit: standing 2.00 × 0.40 × 0.50 m, crouching 1.00 × 0.50 × 0.70 m; in the pit, lying 0.50 × 0.70 × 1.00 m.
Balustrades · cl. 5.4.7.2
0.70 m high if the gap to the shaft wall is between 0.30 and 0.50 m, and 1.10 m beyond 0.50 m; resistance to 1,000 N.
Car roof · cl. 5.4.7 and 5.4.8
Inspection control reachable from the refuge space, non-slip surface, roof withstanding 2,000 N on 0.30 × 0.30 m.
Mechanical safety in the shaft · cl. 5.5 and 5.2.6.4.4.1
Standard rope terminations, rope retainers on sheaves and mechanical stopping of the car if it moves unexpectedly during maintenance.
Electrical safety in the shaft · cl. 5.10 and 5.12
Residual current protection on the safety chain and door operators, 0.30 m/s maximum in inspection near the shaft ends, 200 lux at the controller.
Shaft emergency lighting · cl. 5.4.10.4
5 lux for 1 hour near the emergency control; with QI Touch, lighting of the whole shaft is backed up in a power cut.
Pit access · cl. 5.12
Inspection box with lighting, controls and power socket; fixed or retractable ladder for pits under 2.50 m.
Marking of safety components · cl. 5.11.2.3.5
Each component shows the manufacturer, the certificate number and the type of device.
Information for technicians · cl. 5.2.5.7
Number of people allowed on the roof, permitted postures and work instructions displayed.
Goods passenger lifts · cl. 5.4.2.2
Rated load and rules for handling equipment displayed at every landing.
Door bypass · cl. 5.12.1.8
Dedicated switch in the controller, audible and visual signal under the car and an electrical check preventing normal service with bypassed contacts.
What about existing buildings?
To replace a lift in an existing shaft, EN 81-21 allows, under conditions, reduced pits and headroom with additional safety devices. This is how the Médium range can work with a 300 mm pit in existing buildings, against 1,000 mm in new builds.
Related pages
Sodimas QI Touch, the brain of the lift
The lift controller designed and made in France by Sodimas. It drives the machine, doors, signalling and every safety device, and is the standard controller of the Residential Pack and our lifts.
Learn more →Edel Advanced K2
The contactor-free controller from Spanish manufacturer Edel, compliant with EN 81-20 and EN 81-50, supplied with its pre-assembled Plug & Play wiring and remotely managed with EDELCONNECT.
Learn more →France
Developers, social landlords, property managers, architects, companies: we support you from study to commissioning, with a single contact from start to finish.
Learn more →Frequently asked questions
Are EN 81-20 and EN 81-50 mandatory?
Yes, for new lifts placed on the European market since 1 September 2017, under directive 2014/33/EU. Outside Europe they are often used as a reference; we adapt the lift, after study, to local rules.
Must an existing lift be brought up to EN 81-20?
No, these standards apply to new lifts. Existing lifts follow national rules on the safety of the installed base; a modernisation is the time to address the main safety points.
Which documents prove compliance?
Each lift is supplied with its declaration of conformity and the type-examination certificates of its safety components.
All guides
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Choosing between a machine-room-less lift and a lift with machine room mostly depends on the building: available space, an existing room, height and use. Here are the criteria that matter.
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Pre-study: the measurements to take before your request
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Home lift: what you need to know
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Read the guide →A lift project?
Send us your drawings: we study your project and send you a detailed offer.