Building design and construction is set to change in line with the new EU directive and new standards for lift design, installation and certification. Engineer Giovanni Varisco, a lift engineering consultant and a member of the team of experts behind the new directive, briefed lift installation companies in Malta at a seminar the Malta Lift Association organised for its members.
The directive was issued in February 2014. The implementation date is April 20, 2016.
The new EU lifts directive defines the responsibilities of installers and redefines a lift as a complete installation that has been placed into service. Any new lift installation or upgraded lift must be formally inspected and certified before being put to use. Lifts that do not meet the standards in force at the time of inspection are uncertifiable and cannot be put to use.
As the new EU directive has not yet been transposed into Maltese law, the Malta Lift Association is calling on property buyers to seek advice to ensure that the building design and lift installation meet legal and technical requirements.
Lift installation and upgrading projects due for completion after August 6, 2017 have to be in line with the new standards.