Codes and Certifications
American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME)
In North America, federal codes for vertical lifts are formulated by two organizations: the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). The primary codes with which all vertical platform lifts must comply in North America are the ASME A18.1, and the CSA B44.1. ASME A18.1 has two sections which govern vertical platform lifts for commercial use, and section 5, which governs vertical platform lifts for residential use.
Additionally, third-party organizations called nationally recognized testing laboratories (NRTLs) may be hired by manufacturers to test products for code compliance. NRTLs are independent laboratories recognized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to test products to the specifications of applicable product safety standards. In Canada, NRTLs are referred to as testing organizations (TOs) or certifying bodies (CBs). Two such NRTLs which also certify vertical platform lifts are Underwriter Laboratories, which issues the UL mark for compliant products, and InterTek, which issues the ETL Listed mark.
Underwriter Laboratories is an independent, nonprofit, non-government agency that deals with product safety. They develop safety standards, also known as American National Standards (ANSI), and evaluate products based on those standards. Vertical Platform Lifts complies with ANSI standards in our efforts to provide clients with safe, durable wheelchair and stair lifts.
Intertek Product Certification (ETL)
Intertek certifies the quality of products around the world and puts its ETL symbol on products that pass thorough testing. Before one of our products can be ETL Listed, Intertek inspectors completely take it apart and compare the quality of its parts and assembly to their strict set of rules and guidelines. The ETL mark from Intertek is perhaps the most comprehensive certification a product can receive, as InterTek tests products against several sets of standards and also requires that manufacturers submit to periodic inspections of their factories to ensure ongoing compliance with existing codes and standards.
