Safety Alert - Lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd* 2023

*Note: The Health and Safety Authority has been advised that Kilell Limited, currently trading as Ellickson Engineering, has no affiliation with the aforementioned company Ellickson Engineering Ltd. Ellickson Engineering Ltd. are no longer trading and are in receivership since 2011.

This Safety Alert replaces the previously issued 2020 Safety Alert; “Lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd”, which has been superseded.

The Health and Safety Authority (The Authority) wishes to again alert owners/operators of lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd. to carry out checks to ensure that such lifts were installed in compliance with the European Communities (Lifts) Regulations 1998 to 2008, or as appropriate, with the European Communities (Machinery) Regulations 2008, as amended.

As repeatedly advised since 2017, the Authority wish to reiterate to all lift owners/operators and other interested parties that passenger lifts marked with the number 490 following the CE mark (as illustrated below), may not have been designed and/or installed in compliance with the relevant legislation, as the number 490 is not a valid notified body number.

This would indicate that the lift may not have undergone the required conformity assessment procedures prior to being put into service. Such conformity assessment procedures are an essential component of the legislation and are fundamental in ensuring that lifts which are placed on the market meet with the applicable Essential Health and Safety Requirements and are installed in compliance with the legislation detailed above.

The Health and Safety Authority now strongly advises the following courses of action with respect to lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Limited

a) Lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd. containing the Number 490 following the CE mark, or where no CE mark is present in the lift car:

i. Immediately remove the lift from use until written confirmation has been received from a competent person (such as a qualified engineer or relevant Notified Body) which explicitly confirms, following their examination of the lift and all associated documentation, that in the opinion of the competent person the lift was installed in compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation.

ii. In the event that such written confirmation of compliance with the applicable legislation cannot be provided by a competent person following their examination of the affected lift and the associated documentation, the lift should remain out of service and a programme put in place to bring the lift into compliance or, where this is not possible, replace the lift with a new installation.

iii. In the event following examination the competent person (such as a qualified engineer or relevant Notified Body) is satisfied that the lift installation is in accordance with the applicable legislation the lift should only be returned into operation or made available for use when written confirmation has been received from the competent person, which explicitly confirms that in the opinion of the competent person the lift installation is in compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation.

b) All other lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd.:

i. Engage, without delay, the services of a competent person (such as a qualified engineer or relevant Notified Body) to undertake an examination and assessment of the lift and all associated documentation, to determine whether the lift was installed in compliance with the applicable legislation.

ii. In the event following examination by the competent person it becomes evident that the lift was not installed in accordance with the applicable legislation, the lift should be immediately removed from operation or use and a programme put in place to bring the lift into compliance or, where this is not possible, to replace the lift with a new installation.

iii. In the event following examination the competent person (such as a qualified engineer or relevant Notified Body) is satisfied that the lift installation is in accordance with the applicable legislation, the lift should only continue in operation or be available for use when written confirmation has been received from the competent person, which explicitly confirms that in the opinion of the competent person the lift installation is in compliance with the requirements of the applicable legislation.

The Health and Safety Authority is advising interested parties, such as lift installation companies, lift maintenance companies, lift surveying companies/engineers etc., if they are aware of lifts installed by Ellickson Engineering Ltd. which evidence irregularities with respect to CE marking or other statutory requirements, to bring this Safety Alert to the attention of the lift owner/operator concerned.

Information Notes:

EU Directive 2014/33/EC on the harmonisation of laws of the Member States relating to lifts and safety components for lifts, repealed the previous Directive 95/16/EC on the 20 April 2016 and is currently applicable to all lifts within its scope, which are placed on the European Union market. The European Communities (Lifts and Safety Components for Lifts) Regulations 2017 [S.I. No. 232 of 2017] has given effect to Directive 2014/33/EU in national legislation.

New lift installations must comply with the European Union (Lifts and Safety Components for Lifts) Regulations 2017 and 2022. [S.I. No. 232/2017 & S.I. No. 323 of 2022], or as applicable the European Communities (Machinery) Regulations 2008, as amended.

A listing of relevant Notified Bodies can be found at the following link Nando EU