The European Lift Directive and the Lift Regulations Will the Lift Regulations affect the way we work? The new Lift Regulations will not greatly change the way we work but there are new requirements to be considered : (1) A technical file detailing the design of the lift is to be held by the manufacturer. (2) All lifts will be required to meet a set of Essential Safety Requirements. These requirements must be met in all circumstances and as a result some new features are essential. Among these is the provision of a device to prevent uncontrolled upward movement of the lift car. (3) Compliance may be demonstrated by a Notified Body approval, a Model type test or by following a harmonised standard in conjunction with a suitably approved quality system. (4) If the lift does not comply to a harmonised standard or the manufacturer is not operating to a suitably approved quality system that is specific to lifts, an approval must be issued by a Notified Body. It is vital to understand what is meant by a suitably approved quality system. It must be a system like ISO9000 that has been approved by a body who are notified to give such approvals under the Lift Regulations. Most existing ISO9000 systems operated by companies have not been approved in this way and companies will therefore have to obtain a new approval. Compliance with the Lift Regulations will increase the cost of the lift installation. However, there are some basic rules that can be applied to minimise this cost : specify requirements that meet the harmonised standard use the manufacturers standard products whenever possible