NEW YORK, Feb. 25, 2009 – ASME this year is recognizing the 125th anniversary of its codes and standards activity, which from the beginning and through continued technological change has been dedicated to public safety.

Safety is at the core of the Society’s code for elevators and escalators, appearing right in the title – ASME 17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators.  A17.1 covers all aspects of mechanical and electrical design and includes rules for installation and operation.

In the United States and Canada, 660,000 elevators and 33,000 escalators move approximately 570 million people each day.  In most U.S. and Canadian jurisdictions, passenger elevators are required in public safety regulations to conform to ASME A17.1.

The early history of ASME A17 was intertwined with the growth of the building trades and spread of urban development at the turn of the twentieth century.  Elevators enabled the efficient movement of people and goods in tall office and residential buildings; however little regulation and few design and operating guidelines existed to ensure safety.

In 1921, ASME issued A17 Safety Code for Elevators, containing safety provisions for switches, door locking mechanisms, and speed.  What began as a 25-page publication has grown into today’s A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, including more than 350 pages and encompassing rules and guidelines for relay control equipment and solid-state computerized components.

Among the many key milestones in the development of the code occurred in 2007, when ASME, jointly with the Canadian Standards Association, published the first performance-based safety code, A17.7/CSA B44.7.

More than 5,000 copies of A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators are distributed in each 3-year cycle of the revised and updated code.  More than 365 engineers and other professionals volunteer their time and resources on the various committees of A17.1 to ensure that the code reflects the latest in elevator and escalator technology.

A reception to be held June 15 at Desert Springs JW Marriott, Palm Desert, Calif., site of the 2009 ASME Annual Meeting, will honor the volunteers of A17.1 and those who participate in the Society’s other codes and standards and conformity assessment programs.  ASME develops more than 500 technical standards for pressure vessel technology, electric and nuclear power facilities, gas pipelines, engineering drawing practices, and numerous other technical and engineered products and processes. 

“I commend the thousands of individuals who participate in the codes and standards work of ASME,” said ASME President Thomas M. Barlow. “Their commitment and expertise are the foundation for the exceptional quality of technical standards that have gained worldwide recognition.”

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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