It’s down to the wire now for the New York elevator industry as the deadline to comply with the Door Lock Monitor code is just a few months away. The City of New York issued new guidelines for elevator door lock monitoring systems which requires completion of upgrades and changes by 2020.
In 2014, the city’s Department of Buildings required all elevators to have door-lock monitors installed by Jan. 1, 2020. According to Andrew Rudansky, a buildings department spokesman, the DOB will disclose its enforcement plan before the deadline, but there will be financial penalties for noncompliance.
Rudansky urged owners who are not in compliance to get to work and not leave planning to the last minute. “Building owners have had five years to comply with city regulations requiring them to install these door-lock monitors. The deadline to meet this code requirement is right around the corner.”
Door-lock monitor upgrades on newer elevators won’t cost much, because the required system is likely already in place and only has to be activated or needs only a simple software upgrade. For elevators between five and 10 years old, the modifications could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $15,000, and for those 10 years and older, the price could rise to $25,000. Those prices might go up as the deadline nears.
Regardless of the extent of the work to be done, you will have to go through the new Department of Buildings procedure. There are four basic steps:
- The elevator contractor will have to file a permit.
- They will have to obtain a set of elevator electrical prints showing that the door lock monitoring system exists electrically within the control board circuit.
- The electrical prints must be stamped by a professional engineer.
- The elevator(s) must pass a Department of Buildings inspection.
As the January 1, 2020 deadline approaches, building owners need to bear in mind that it takes some time to obtain a bid and proposal from an elevator contractor, ensure that there are sufficient funds to cover the cost of the work, file the permit, and complete the necessary work on multiple elevators. The best practice would be to get started on this process as soon as possible in order to meet the compliance deadline. Non-compliance with Rule 3.10.12 could result not only in violations and fines, but also in loss of service, cancelled insurance coverage, and legal liabilities. The Department of Buildings will also require installation of secondary emergency brakes on all traction elevators by January 1, 2027 (NYC Building Code Appendix K3 Rule 3.8.4.1), so building owners may want to plan ahead and have this done at the same time as the door lock monitors.
FIELDBOSS can help manage the process and ensure that all your elevators are compliant before the deadline.
FIELDBOSS can be configured to:
- Easily monitor which elevators require the door lock monitor device, which have already been installed and which have yet to be installed
- Create drop down lists under each elevator to keep track of Door Lock Monitor device status
- Create quotes in seconds and send to those customers in need of a Door Lock Monitor device
- Create easy to read dashboard views of Active Door Lock Monitor quotes, Active Sites for Door Lock Monitor Installations, and Building Locations without Door Lock Monitors so you can easily stay on-top of what’s going on and keep your customers devices compliant.
Contact us for more information on how FIELDBOSS can help manage your Door Lock Monitoring device installation.
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