International lecture in Brazil on security of elevator

Representatives of the lift associations from the USA and Europe took part in Brazil, in an international lecture to debate the technological development, the safety laws and maintenance of lifts.

The event in the city of Belo Horizonte, state of Minas Gerais, was organized by the Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Association of Minas Gerais (Abemec-MG), the Regional Council of Engineering and Agronomy of Minas Gerais (Crea-MG) and other local partners.

The guests to speak were the President of the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC), United States and owner of the company Midwest Elevator Company Inc., Gary Schuette, and chairman of the German elevator association VFA-Interlift and a member of the Board of Directors of the European Lift Association (ELA), Achim Hütter.

Lift laws constantly updated

According to Gary Schuette, in the United States of America one of the main requirements is the specific training for the ones who want to work with lift installation and maintenance. This is mandatory in Missouri, but not in all States. Furthermore, he says that the lift laws are constantly being updated. "Technology is always developing, becoming each time more specific and the safety regulations have to follow this".

Moreover, Schuette reported that even the firefighters’ training is updated, in order to go along with the technological changes and to guarantee a faster and more efficient rescue in case of accidents.

The expert also said that the U.S.A. and Canada have been working to unify the laws of both countries and this way harmonize the safety procedures in North America. During the lecture, Schuette also catalogued some strategies for companies to stand out in such a competitive market.

Lectures amazed Brazilian experts

On the other hand, in Europe, besides the technicians’ specialized training, the government, the companies and the professionals share the responsibilities for keeping the elevators safe. There, the companies obey strict laws, and the inspection demands that all safety regulations are followed.

According to Achim Hütter, the final objective is "never have fatal accidents in lifts". He informs that, summing up all the countries from Europe, a total of 22 users died in 2018, due to accidents with elevators. The lectures amazed Brazilian experts in elevator management. They want to apply the European and North American development to Brazil. This is what is assessed by Fabio Aranha, the President of the Elevators Association of Mercosul.

He said that the international lecture was a good opportunity to "know the maintenance and safety patterns of elevators in more developed countries and to confront it with the Brazilian pattern and to look for inspiration to improve the local system".

Invest in effective and independent inspection

Ronaldo Bandeira, Counselor of CREA- MG, emphasized that Brazil also needs to invest in effective and independent inspection to avoid a great number of accidents with lifts. From October 2007 to May 2019, there were 14 deaths only in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte.

"Here, in Brazil, there is no technical inspection from the government. They only check the documents. The technical inspection, whether from the government or from the companies, must be technical and independent, what is called third part by the foreigners. Only this will assure more equipment safety", ends Ronaldo.

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