This Part of the British Standard deals with the engineering and safety requirements to be incorporated when modernizing and/or reconstructing lifts, escalators and paternosters with the object that parts affected by such changes shall comply with Parts 1, 4 or 5 of this standard as far as it is reasonably practicable to do so. Where it is not reasonably practicable to comply, provision is made in this Part to allow such deviations as will secure a minimum acceptable standard of safety having regard to circumstances affecting the installation.
In other words, it is the intention of this Part to be constructive rather than restrictive, and to allow an installation of reasonable standard to be modernized or reconstructed in stages as necessary.
In the case of completely new installations replacing those existing, special provisions are made to meet certain site restrictions which are often present in buildings that have been in use for many years. These are made so that the use of new equipment is not automatically restricted because certain site requirements are now more rigorous than formerly.
In cases where a lift, escalator or paternoster is moved to a different location, it is not deemed as an alteration, and the equipment, when reinstalled, shall comply with all the requirements of Part 1 of this standard.
Appendix A is a check list which summarizes, for electric lifts, the major alterations covered by this part of the standard and the consequent requirements affecting various parts of the installation. Appendix B provides a similar summary in respect of hydraulic lifts.