The Indian elevator industry is entering a new phase of safety and regulatory compliance with the introduction of IS 17900, a comprehensive set of standards aimed at aligning Indian lift safety requirements with internationally accepted practices.

The primary objective of revising the existing lift standards is to improve passenger safety, enhance protection for maintenance personnel, and strengthen building safety requirements while bringing Indian regulations closer to global benchmarks.

The new standard consists of:

• IS 17900 Part 1 – Safety Rules for Lift Construction and Installation
• IS 17900 Part 2 – Design Rules, Calculations, Examination, and Testing of Lift Components

The introduction of IS 17900 represents one of the most significant changes in Indian elevator safety regulations in recent years.

While implementation is expected to increase overall elevator costs by approximately 10%, the additional investment is intended to deliver substantial improvements in safety, reliability, and risk reduction.

The major changes can be grouped into three categories:

1. Passenger Safety Improvements
2. Service Engineer Safety Improvements
3. Building Design Requirements

I. Passenger Safety Improvements

1. Unintended Car Movement (UCM) Protection

One of the most important additions is protection against Unintended Car Movement (UCM).

UCM refers to any uncontrolled movement of the elevator car, either upward or downward, while the doors are open or not fully closed and without a valid command from the control system.

The new requirement introduces additional protection systems capable of detecting and stopping such movements before they become hazardous to passengers.

2. Pendulum Impact Test for Lift Doors

The new standard requires lift landing doors and car doors to undergo a pendulum impact test.

This test verifies that doors can withstand accidental human impact without:

• Breaking.