Safety Awareness, Codes, and Workplace Practices
Domain focus
Safety awareness, codes, and workplace practices tests the rules that govern elevator and escalator work: ASME A17.1/CSA B44 for new installations, A17.3 for existing elevators, A17.2 for inspections and tests, OSHA workplace rules, and NFPA 70 for electrical work. Expect scenarios on lockout, fall protection, pit and hoistway access, and code-required clearances.
Core rules and concepts
- Lockout/tagout: isolate all energy sources, apply locks and tags, verify zero energy by test, and try-start. Only the person who applied a lock removes it under the procedure.
- Hoistway and pit: use the pit ladder, maintain three-point contact, keep the pit clear, and do not use the car top as a work platform unless the car-top railing and control requirements are met.
- Fall protection: use guardrails, personal fall arrest, or a travel-restraint system as required; inspect hardware before use.
- Electrical: treat all conductors as energized until tested; use PPE and insulated tools; maintain arc-flash boundaries.
- Code: know the difference between new-installation rules and existing-equipment rules. A17.1 clearances and A17.3 retroactive requirements are not interchangeable.
Worked example
You need to clean a pit sump. Open the mainline disconnect, apply your lock and tag, test the disconnect for voltage, then try-start the elevator. If the car moves or voltage appears, stop and find the backfeed or stored energy source. Only after zero energy is confirmed do you enter the pit, and you keep the pit stop switch accessible while working.
Traps
Relying on a tag alone; using another worker's lock; assuming a stop switch removes all power; applying A17.1 dimensions to an existing A17.3 job; and entering a pit without checking for water, debris, or a second energy source.