Cableways Impact Assessment Study - Final Report - saferail.nl

Risk & Policy Analysts
Box 4.1: The Relationship between the Cableways Directive and the Lifts Directive
Inclined lifts/small funiculars provide a good example of the interplay between the Lifts, Cableways
and Machinery Directives:
Inclined lifts permanently serving buildings or constructions are subject to the Lifts Directive.
The Lifts Directive applies to lifts with guides "inclined at an angle of more than 15 degrees to
the horizontal" and thus includes inclined lifts such as those installed alongside an escalator.
Small funiculars in outdoor mountain or urban sites are “generally” not covered by the Lifts
Directive; rather they are covered by the Cableways Directive AND are excluded from the
scope of the Lifts Directive.
Installations for transporting persons at an angle of less than 15° to the horizontal are not considered
lifts in the sense of the Lifts Directive and are, therefore, subject to the Machinery Directive.
The Application Guide to the Lifts Directive (EC, 2007) notes that “the lifts to which the Directive
applies are those “permanently” serving buildings and constructions”. Lifting appliances serving
similar transport functions but which are installed in outdoor mountain or urban sites are generally
not covered by the Lifts Directive. Most such outdoor appliances are covered by Directive
2000/9/EC relating to Cableways”. In other words, in addition to the transport objective, location
and permanence are key determinants of whether a lifting appliance falls under the Cableways
Directive or the Lifts Directive (ultimately, the scope of the Cableways Directive).
The Guide to Application of the Cableways Directive (EC, 2006) also notes that while the exclusion
(above) is categorical, “features of certain installations may give rise to some uncertainty, as inclined
lifts could also be considered as small funiculars”. For these, the application of the legislation will
have to rely on a joint case-by-case examination between the main contractor, the authorities and the
manufacturer.
However, while the legal distinction between inclined lifts and small funiculars
appears to be clearly set out in the two Directives and their Application Guides,
problems have been experienced in the course of practical application of these
provisions, in particular where formalised and effective communication between
public authorities and companies is not established at an early stage of the planning
process (it should be remembered that, as noted in Box 4.1, the Application Guide to
the Cableways Directive stresses the importance of joint case-by-case examination
between the main contractor, the authorities and the manufacturer). For this reason, it
appears necessary to examine whether such problems could be avoided in the future
by means of improved guidance.
Definitions of safety components, subsystems, infrastructure and installations
The Cableways Directive is based on the distinction between safety components,
subsystems, infrastructure and installations.
Safety components are defined as "any basic component, set of components,
subassembly or complete assembly of equipment and any device incorporated in
the installation for the purpose of ensuring a safety function and identified by the
safety analysis (…)".
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