MI Elevator Mechanic key terms

The joint U.S./Canadian standard that sets minimum design, construction, installation, and testing requirements for elevators, escalators, and related equipment. It is the base document adopted, with amendments, by Michigan's elevator rules.

The body established under Michigan law that advises on and administers elevator safety rules, licensing of elevator contractors and mechanics, and adoption of the safety code within the state.

A credential issued by the State of Michigan that authorizes a person to install, maintain, alter, or repair elevators and related equipment. It is obtained by documented experience and passing a written examination.

Required periodic training hours that a licensed elevator mechanic must complete to renew the license, keeping knowledge of code changes, safety practices, and new technology current.

A recurring examination of an operating elevator or escalator, performed at intervals set by state rule, to verify that safety devices, clearances, and maintenance remain compliant with the adopted code.

The initial test of a new or altered elevator performed before it is placed in service, demonstrating that installation, safety devices, and performance meet code requirements. Results are documented and witnessed by the authority having jurisdiction.

A periodic test performed at code-specified intervals, typically annually, covering safety devices such as governors, safeties, buffers, and door protective devices, with recorded results kept for the AHJ.

A more comprehensive periodic test, usually required every five years, that includes items such as rated-load and full-speed checks of the machine, brake, and governor tripping speeds, beyond the annual Category 1 scope.

The governmental or designated body responsible for enforcing the elevator code in a given area, including witnessing acceptance tests, issuing operating certificates, and ordering unsafe equipment taken out of service.

A document issued by the authority having jurisdiction confirming that an elevator or escalator has passed required inspections and is permitted to operate for a stated period.

A speed-sensing device mounted in the machine room or overhead that detects an overspeed condition in the car or counterweight and mechanically triggers the safety to stop the car.

A mechanical device mounted on the car or counterweight frame that grips the guide rails when actuated by the governor, stopping and holding the car or counterweight under overspeed or broken-suspension conditions.

A continuous rope or cable looped through the governor and a tension sheave below the car, attached to the safety actuating mechanism so that governor rotation trips the safeties when speed is excessive.

A weighted or spring-loaded sheave at the bottom of the governor rope loop that keeps the governor rope taut so the governor can accurately sense car speed and reliably trip the safeties.

Any condition in which the car or counterweight travels faster than its rated speed by more than the code-allowed tolerance, which must cause the governor to trip the safety or the machine brake to stop the car.

The friction device on the hoisting machine that holds the car at rest and stops it when power is removed. It is spring-applied and electrically released, and must stop the car at rated load without excessive deceleration.

A device mounted in the pit that absorbs the kinetic energy of a car or counterweight traveling past its normal landing, either spring or oil type, and must be tested to confirm it stops the load within code limits.

A guided mass connected to the car by hoist ropes that balances most of the car weight, reducing motor load and improving traction. It also carries its own safety where required by code.

Steel wire ropes that suspend the car and counterweight from the machine sheave or drum. Code requires a minimum number of independent ropes and periodic inspection for broken wires and wear.

A hoisting machine that lifts the car by friction between grooved or flat sheaves and the hoist ropes, rather than by winding rope onto a drum, and typically includes the motor, brake, and sheave assembly.

A traction hoisting machine in which the motor shaft directly drives the traction sheave without a gear reducer, giving higher speeds, quieter operation, and lower maintenance.

Vertical steel T-section members fixed to the hoistway that guide the car and counterweight and provide the surface that safeties grip during an emergency stop.

Sliding or roller assemblies attached to the car and counterweight frames that ride on the guide rails, maintaining alignment and limiting lateral movement as the car travels.

The space below the lowest landing of the hoistway, containing buffers, governor tension sheave, pit ladder, stop switch, and required clearances for a person to work safely.

A manually operated switch located in the pit that cuts power to the driving machine and controller, allowing a mechanic to work safely below the car.

The switch or breaker that removes all power from the elevator controller and driving machine. It must be lockable and is the primary point for applying lockout/tagout before maintenance work.

An OSHA-required procedure in which energy sources are isolated, locked, and tagged by each worker before servicing equipment, preventing accidental start-up or release of stored energy.

Gear such as hard hats, safety glasses, gloves, and fall protection worn to reduce injury risk. OSHA requires it where hazards exist and requires training in its proper use and inspection.

Systems and practices, such as guardrails, personal fall arrest harnesses, and anchor points, used to prevent or arrest falls when working at heights like car tops or hoistway openings.

A set of controls on the car top allowing a mechanic to run the car at reduced speed for inspection and maintenance, including an emergency stop switch and a means to prevent normal operation.

The use of slings, shackles, hoists, and hitches to lift and move heavy equipment such as machines and sheaves safely, with load limits and inspection of hardware required before each lift.

The electrical circuits and devices, such as contactors, relays, overloads, and variable-frequency drives, that start, stop, reverse, and regulate the elevator driving machine.

An electronic controller that varies motor voltage and frequency to control elevator speed and acceleration smoothly, improving ride quality and energy use compared with older motor-generator systems.

A drive that returns energy produced during braking or overhauling loads back to the building supply or a resistor bank, reducing power consumption and heat in the machine room.

An elevator that lifts the car by a plunger or piston moved by pressurized oil from a power unit, typically used for low-rise, low-speed applications with a cylinder in the ground or alongside the hoistway.

The hydraulic pump, motor, tank, and valve assembly that pressurizes oil to raise a hydraulic elevator car and controls lowering speed through metering or valving.

The cylinder and piston assembly of a hydraulic elevator that extends under oil pressure to raise the car, either directly or through ropes, and retracts as oil is released.

A safety valve installed on the hydraulic cylinder or piping that closes automatically if oil flow exceeds a set rate, preventing uncontrolled descent if a line or fitting fails.