§ 14-16-80. Hoistway doors and gates for freight elevators.

A.

Generally. Each landing opening in a freight elevator hoistway shall be continuously equipped with a properly working door or gate.

Where fire-resistant hoistways are required by local laws and ordinances, the landing door shall be either:

1.

Automatic fire doors which are kept normally open, but which are closed automatically by the action of heat, provided hoistway gates equipped with locking devices meeting the requirements of section 14-16-86, are installed in addition to the doors; or

2.

Nonautomatic fire doors without hoistway gates, provided the doors are provided with locking devices meeting the requirements of section 14-16-86(A) or (B).

Exception: the upper landing of sidewalk elevators.

B.

Maximum opening of gate. Hoistway gates made of grille, lattice or other openwork shall be designed to reject a ball two inches in diameter.

C.

Maximum clearance from hoistway door to threshold. Hoistway doors and gates shall be located within four inches of the edge of the landing threshold.

Exceptions:

1.

Elevators provided with car gates equipped as required by section 14-16-97;

2.

Top landing doors or gates;

3.

Hand elevators.

D.

Guides. Hoistway doors and gates of the sliding type shall operate in guides or rails.

E.

Width and height of doors. Hoistway doors should guard the full width and height of the landing opening.

F.

Minimum size of gates. Hoistway gates shall guard the full width of the landing opening and shall extend from within two inches of the landing threshold to a height of not less than five feet six inches above the threshold.

Exceptions:

1.

The top landing gates, where the head room makes it impractical to install gates five feet six inches high, may extend from within two inches of the landing threshold to a height of not less than 42 inches above the threshold if set back at least 12 inches from the threshold.

2.

Landing openings of freight elevators may be equipped with gates which extend from within two inches of the landing threshold to a height of at least 42 inches if set back at least 12 inches from the edge of the threshold or shall be guarded as specified in Rule 124 of the Elevator Safety Code.

3.

The bottom landing of hand sidewalk elevators may be equipped with single bar gates 42 inches high if set back at least 12 inches from the edge of the landing threshold.

G.

Self-closing gates. Manually opened self-closing gates shall be of the vertically sliding type only and shall be permitted only on power elevators which can be operated from the car only and on hand-power elevators.

H.

Full automatic gates. Full automatic gates shall be permitted only at terminal landings on power freight elevators which can be operated only from the car and which have a capacity speed not in excess of 100 feet per minute and at all landings of power freight elevators which can be operated only from the car and which have a capacity speed not in excess of 100 feet per minute and used primarily for carrying automobiles and on hand elevators.

Exception: existing full automatic gates on freight elevators which can be operated only from the car and having a capacity speed not exceeding 100 feet per minute may be retained in use at all landings provided that such gates shall, when renewed or replaced, be subject to the restrictions provided in this subsection.

I.

Closing automatic gates. Full automatic gates shall not be closed by the direct mechanical action of the car, but may be retarded, while closing, by the car.

J.

Vision panel requirements. Hoistway doors provided with vision panels shall have the openings protected with clear wire glass in cases where the hoistway is of fire-resistant construction and in all other cases with either clear wire glass or may be protected by wire grille screens of not less than number 13 steel wire gauge or metal gratings of equivalent strength which are designated to reject a two-inch ball.

(Code 1967, § 49-130; Code 1985, § 46-150)