TSSA EDM-A Exam cheat sheet

Ontario elevating device law chain: Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 (TSSA Act) → Ontario Regulation 209/01 (Elevating Devices) → adopted ASME A17.1/CSA B44 code editions referenced in the regulation; the Act supplies offences and penalties, the regulation supplies licensing, registration and inspection duties.

Director's orders and TSSA-issued directives sit below the regulation but are enforceable; they typically set out timelines, reporting formats, and transitional rules for code adoption, so an EDM-A candidate must treat them as binding requirements rather than guidance.

Licence classes under O. Reg. 209/01 include elevating device contractor, mechanic (construction/maintenance), inspector, and owner/operator duties; a contractor licence is required to install, alter, or maintain, and the licensed contractor remains accountable for work performed by its employees.

Registration is per device: each elevating device must be registered with TSSA and carry its own registration number before it is placed in service; registration records the device type, location, rated load, speed, and code edition applied at installation.

Periodic inspection intervals are risk/device-type based rather than uniform; the regulation and TSSA policy set maximum intervals (commonly annual for many device classes, with different frequencies for others), and the owner is responsible for arranging inspection and for keeping the device in compliance between inspections.

Incident reporting: an elevating device incident involving injury, entrapment beyond the defined threshold, uncontrolled movement, or a failure of a safety device must be reported to TSSA within the prescribed time, and the device may be required to be taken out of service pending investigation.

Order/notice of violation flow: an inspector may issue an order to remedy, may seal or lock out a device, and may require an independent professional engineer's review; non-compliance escalates to Director review and then to prosecution under the TSSA Act.

Insurance and financial responsibility: contractors must maintain liability insurance and provide proof on renewal; failure to maintain coverage is a licence condition breach independent of any technical code violation.

ASME A17.1/CSA B44 load basis: rated load is established per device type and car area; the counterweight is balanced against car dead weight plus a portion (typically 40–50%) of rated load, so an unbalanced load changes traction and motor current in a predictable direction.

Safety chain logic: door interlocks, governor switch, pit stop switch, final limit switch, slack-rope/broken-suspension device, and car safety switch are wired in series; any open contact drops the main line and prevents run, so a single open device explains a total no-run condition.

Governor tripping speed is set above rated speed (commonly in the 115–125% range for the governor to trip, with the safety required to set before overspeed reaches a code maximum); the governor switch must open the power circuit before or at the point the safety applies.

Car and counterweight safeties must stop and hold the car with rated load; the stopping distance is bounded by code tables based on governor trip speed, and a safety that sets too abruptly is a deceleration (injury) hazard even if it stops the car.

Buffers: oil buffers are required above a threshold rated speed (spring buffers permitted only at lower speeds); buffer stroke, oil level, and return-to-normal condition are periodic inspection items, and a buffer not returning to full extension is a deficiency.

Door closing force and kinetic energy limits apply to power-operated doors; the code sets maximum force measured at the leading edge and requires reopening on obstruction, with the door operator and detector treated as safety-related components.

Maintenance control program: the contractor must maintain a documented maintenance control program (MCP) with written procedures, a schedule of tasks, and records; the mechanic performs tasks to the MCP and the record must be available for inspector review at the device location or by agreed access.

Suspension means: wire-rope retirement criteria are based on broken wires per lay length, diameter reduction, corrosion, and end-connection condition; rope equalization and traction sheave groove wear are checked because both change load sharing and slip risk.

Escalator/moving walk specific items: skirt and step clearance, comb-plate condition, handrail speed relative to steps, step sag, missing steps, and the emergency stop function are code-defined checks; clearance and comb defects are the classic source of entrapment incidents.

Category testing under A17.1/CSA B44 separates periodic (Category 1) from more comprehensive (Category 5) examinations; Category 5 requires a higher level of disassembly and verification and is performed on a longer cycle, so the EDM-A candidate must know which items belong to which category.

Periodic test items commonly include: safety and governor trip test, buffer test, door interlock verification, terminal stopping devices, emergency brake, and standby power operation; results are recorded with date, device ID, and pass/fail or measured values.

Electrical protective logic: the main line disconnect must be lockable and open all ungrounded conductors; a separate branch circuit feeds car lighting and alarm, and the alarm/bell must operate on standby power so it remains functional during a power failure.

Grounding and bonding: the controller, machine, car frame, and raceway are bonded to the equipment grounding conductor; a missing bond is a shock hazard and a code violation even when the device runs normally.

Hydraulic devices: check relief valve setting, tank oil level and temperature, jack and piping for leakage, rupture/burst valve function, and the lowering speed and stopping distance; a slow-drift car with the valve closed indicates internal leakage.

Machine-room and machinery-space rules cover access, lighting, guarding of rotating parts, working clearances, and a non-combustible floor; remote machine rooms and MRL designs move these requirements into the hoistway or a locked space with defined access control.

Firefighters' emergency operation (Phase I/II) must be verified in test: Phase I recalls the car on smoke-detector actuation and parks it at the designated level with doors open; Phase II gives manual control to firefighters. Key switch, indicators, and hoistway/ lobby detector interaction are test points.

Inspection preparation rule: the owner/contractor must provide access, test weights, and qualified personnel for tests; an inspector cannot complete a Category 5 test without the means to load the car and to observe safety application, so test readiness is a compliance item.

Deficiency handling: an inspector classifies findings and may require immediate shutdown for items that defeat a safety function (e.g., bypassed interlock, inoperative safety, non-functioning alarm); corrective action is documented and re-inspected before the device returns to service.

An alteration is a change that affects the safety, structural integrity, or performance of the device (controller replacement, machine change, door operator change, rated speed/load change); alterations require design registration and inspection approval before the device is returned to service.

Major vs. minor alteration classification determines the extent of code compliance required; a major alteration can trigger upgrading to current code requirements for related components (e.g., new controller may require door protective device upgrade and car lighting/alarm compliance).

New installation flow: submit drawings/design to TSSA for review, obtain registration, install to the approved design, complete acceptance tests witnessed by an inspector, and only then place in service; occupancy before acceptance is a violation.

Owner obligations: keep the device registered, arrange periodic inspections, retain maintenance and test records, ensure the device is maintained by a licensed contractor, and report incidents; the owner cannot contract away these statutory duties.

Out-of-service devices: a device taken out of service must be secured against use, and returning it to service requires correction of the deficiency and, where required, re-inspection; simply removing a lock-out tag without sign-off is a breach.

Record retention: maintenance records, test records, incident reports, and alteration documentation must be kept for the period set by the regulation/directive and be produced on request; missing records are treated as non-compliance even if the device is physically sound.

Contractor duty on takeover: before assuming maintenance, the contractor must examine the device and record existing deficiencies; this baseline protects both parties and establishes what must be corrected under the new maintenance contract.

Code edition applicability: the code edition in force at the time of installation governs existing devices, with newer requirements applying on alteration; retroactive requirements are imposed only where the regulation or a director's order expressly says so.

Suspension rope factor of safety is set by code based on rated load and rope count; adding rope count or reducing rated load raises the factor, so a load-rating change without a rope/safety review is an unsafe alteration.

Speed relationships to memorize as decision rules: governor trip speed > rated speed; safety setting speed is bounded relative to governor trip speed; buffer type (spring vs. oil) is selected by rated speed threshold, not by load.

Door timing rule: door open time, dwell, and closing force interact with the door protective device; increasing closing force to fix slow closing is not permitted if it exceeds the code force limit, so the correct fix is adjustment of the operator, not the limit.

Capacity and area: car rated load is tied to available car area (and, for some device types, to occupant count); adding a load rating above the area-based maximum is a code violation regardless of structural capacity.

Hydraulic rule: relief valve setting must be above the full-load operating pressure but within the code multiple of it, and the burst/rupture valve must be capable of stopping flow on pipe failure; a relief valve set below full-load pressure causes refusal to lift.

Testing arithmetic: if a Category 5 test is due every 5 years and the last test was recorded on a given date, the next due date is that anniversary; a device with no record of a prior Category 5 is treated as overdue, not exempt.

Standby power rule: on activation, the car must be able to travel to a landing and open doors under emergency power; the alarm and car lighting must remain energized, so a standby test that only checks car motion is incomplete.

Escalator braking rule: the brake must stop a descending escalator with rated load within the code stopping distance; a brake that stops too abruptly is a passenger hazard, so both stopping distance and deceleration are acceptance criteria.

Incident vs. deficiency rule: a deficiency is a condition found at inspection; an incident is an event that has already caused harm or an unsafe movement and triggers reporting to TSSA; the two have different timelines and different documentation.