The joint ASME/CSA performance-based safety code for elevators and escalators, providing an alternative to the prescriptive ASME A17.1/CSA B44 code by evaluating safety through measurable outcomes rather than specific design rules.
Full Definition
ASME A17.7 / CSA B44.7 is a joint code published by ASME and the Canadian Standards Association as a performance-based alternative to the prescriptive ASME A17.1/CSA B44 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. Rather than mandating specific design solutions (materials, dimensions, circuits), it defines safety functions and measurable performance criteria that a system must satisfy. This allows manufacturers and installers to demonstrate code compliance using innovative technologies, novel drive systems, or new materials that may not be addressed in the prescriptive code. The process requires the preparation of a Documented Safety Analysis (DSA), reviewed and approved by an authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) or an accredited third-party verification organisation. ASME A17.7 is particularly significant for enabling new technologies such as linear motor drives, magnetic levitation systems, multi-car hoistway systems (e.g., MULTI by thyssenkrupp), and novel rope-free concepts to be installed in North American markets where prescriptive codes have not yet been updated to address them. The code is harmonised with the ISO/EN functional safety framework and references IEC 61508 for safety-integrity-level (SIL) determination.
