Every passenger elevator needs a way for someone trapped in the car to call for help. The rules for how that works have changed in the 2019 edition of the elevator safety code, and the phone lines most elevator phones depend on are being retired at the same time. Here is what building owners should know.
This is a general overview, not legal or code advice. Requirements depend on the code edition your jurisdiction has adopted, the scope of the work and the decisions of your authority having jurisdiction (AHJ).
What an elevator emergency phone has to do
The elevator safety code, ASME A17.1 (CSA B44 in Canada), has long required two-way emergency communication between the car and a location staffed by authorized personnel who can take action. In general terms, the communication means in the car must:
- Start a call when the passenger presses a clearly marked button in or next to the car operating panel
- Allow hands-free, two-way conversation with authorized personnel
- Reach an alternate location automatically if the first call is not acknowledged in time
- Give the answering party the building location and elevator number
- Show the passenger that the call has been acknowledged
- Stay connected until authorized personnel end the call, with limited exceptions
Accessibility rules add their own requirements for the button, its markings and the visual acknowledgment.
What changed in ASME A17.1-2019
The 2019 edition, in Section 2.27, adds visual communication so passengers who are deaf, hard of hearing or cannot speak can still get help. In summary, on the same panel as the phone button there must be messages that:
- Confirm that communication has been established
- Let authorized personnel ask questions and get responses from a passenger who cannot hear or speak
- Tell the passenger that help is on the way
For taller elevators, the 2019 edition also adds requirements for emergency personnel inside the building to communicate with each car individually, including visual information about the passengers. California's building code (CBC 3001.2) separately calls for emergency communication with both visible text and audible modes.
Which edition applies to a given elevator depends on the jurisdiction and on whether the work is new construction, a modernization or a repair. Many existing elevators remain under an earlier edition until they are altered.
TELMOVE TECS-V is a visual elevator emergency phone with a text display, YES / NO buttons and video, designed to meet ASME A17.1-2019 Section 2.27 and CBC 3001.2. It is accepting pre-orders. See TECS-V.
The copper line problem
Most existing elevator phones dial out over a copper analog phone line, often called a POTS line. Carriers are retiring copper networks area by area and raising prices on the lines that remain. When a line is cut, the phone in the car usually looks normal. The failure shows up when a passenger presses HELP, or when an inspector tests it.
The fix is to move each elevator phone to a replacement line that still behaves like a standard phone line to the elevator phone, carried over the building's internet or a cellular connection, and then test it with the answering point. Monitoring the line matters too, so a failure is found by the provider, not by a trapped passenger.
A checklist for building owners
- List every elevator, its emergency phone and the phone number or line it uses.
- Check your phone bills for elevator lines, and ask your carrier whether copper retirement is planned at your address.
- Press HELP in each car (with your elevator contractor if needed) and confirm who answers and whether they get the correct location.
- Ask your elevator contractor or AHJ which code edition applies to each elevator, especially before a modernization.
- Replace lines before the carrier cuts them, and make sure every line is tested and monitored.
- Keep records of tests and calls for inspections.
How TELMOVE helps
TELMOVE connects, programs, tests, verifies and monitors elevator emergency phones nationwide for $59.99 per line per month plus tax, with no up-front cost, using your existing wiring and existing phone. We repair and replace defective phones, and we work alongside elevator service companies every week.
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