NEW YORK, Oct. 6, 2008 -- Louis Bialy, a resident of Simsbury, Conn., and director of worldwide codes and standards for Otis Elevator Company (Farmington, Conn.), was honored by ASME.  He was recognized for over 15 years of commitment to the development and promotion of safety codes and standards for elevators, for contributing technical expertise and for leadership in the formulation of policies and procedures.  He received the Society’s Safety Codes and Standards Medal.

The medal, established in 1986, recognizes contributions to the enhancement of public safety through the development and promotion of ASME safety codes and standards or through ASME safety accreditation activity.  It was presented to Mr. Bialy during the ASME A17 Standards Committee Meeting held in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, Sept. 17 and 18.

Bialy has more than 41 years of experience in the design, development and testing of industrial products including 28 years of experience in the elevator and escalator area.  He was named an Otis Fellow in 2006.

Bialy is an active member of ASME’s A17–Elevators and Escalators Standards Committee and is vice chair of the A17 International Standards and Mechanical Design committee.  He played a leading role in the development of the ASME A.17.7/Canadian Standards Association B44.7 Performance-Based Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.  This groundbreaking, bi-national code can be applied worldwide to innovative elevator products that require a conformity assessment program to demonstrate compliance with public safety-based requirements.

In 1991 he was honored as ASME (Connecticut Chapter)/United Technologies Corporation (UTC) Engineer of the Year.

Bialy is chair of the National Elevator Industry, Inc.’s Central Code Committee and serves on the board of directors of the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities.  He is also an active member of and U.S. delegate to the International Organization for Standardization’s Technical Committee 178–Lifts, Escalators and Moving Walks and an active participant in key working groups.

Bialy has published extensively on engineering topics and has given many presentations regarding elevator safety, and codes and standards issues.  He holds many patents.  His honors include six special awards (1982-2007) from UTC.

Bialy earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering at Witwatersrand University (Johannesburg, South Africa) in 1966 and his master’s degree in engineering at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada) in 1970.  He is a registered professional engineer in Ontario.

Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences.  ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the global engineering and technology community.

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