Part E3 Lift installations

The Objective of this Part is to—

1. facilitate the safe movement of occupants; and
2. facilitate access for emergency services personnel to carry out emergency procedures and assist in the evacuation of occupants.

Where a passenger lift is provided, it is to facilitate safe and easy—

1. movement for occupants with a disability; and
2. evacuation of occupants, who due to illness or injury need stretcher assistance.

A building is to be provided with one or more passenger lifts to facilitate—

1. the safe access for emergency services personnel; and
2. safe and easy evacuation of occupants who due to illness, injury or disability cannot use stairways in the event of an emergency.

A building having a passenger lift is to be provided with measures to alert occupants about the use of the lift in an emergency.

Stretcher facilities must be provided, to the degree necessary—

1. in at least one emergency lift required by E3P2; or
2. where an emergency lift is not required and a passenger lift is provided, in at least one lift, to serve each floor in the building served by the passenger lift.

One or more passenger lifts fitted as emergency lifts to serve each floor served by the lifts in a building must be installed to facilitate the activities of the fire brigade and other emergency services personnel.

Signs or other means must be provided to alert occupants about the use of a lift during an emergency.

When a passenger lift is provided in a building required to be accessible, it must be suitable for use by people with a disability.

Compliance with E3P2 is verified when a building is designed in accordance with C1V4.

(1) Compliance with E3P3 is verified when building occupants are provided with automatic warning that lifts must not be used during a fire emergency.

(2) The automatic warning must—

1. be initiated by a smoke hazard management system complying with Part E2; and
2. be provided via a sound system complying with the relevant provisions of AS 1670.4; and
3. have a flashing warning sign installed in accordance with AS 1670.4 displaying the words “do not use lift”.

(1) Where a Deemed-to-Satisfy Solution is proposed, Performance Requirements E3P1 to E3P4 are satisfied by complying with—

1. E3D2 to E3D12; and
2. for a building containing an occupiable outdoor area, Part G6; and
3. for public transport buildings, Part I2.

(2) Where a Performance Solution is proposed, the relevant Performance Requirements must be determined in accordance with A2G2(3) and A2G4(3) as applicable.

An electric passenger lift installation and an electrohydraulic passenger lift installation must comply with Specification 24.

(1) A stretcher facility in accordance with (2) must be provided—

1. in at least one emergency lift required by E3D5; or
2. where an emergency lift is not required, if passenger lifts are installed to serve any storey above an effective height of 12 m, in at least one of those lifts to serve each floor served by the lifts.

(2) A stretcher facility must accommodate a raised stretcher with a patient lying on it horizontally by providing a clear space not less than 600 mm wide x 2000 mm long x 1400 mm high above the floor level.

(1) A warning sign must be displayed where it can be readily seen near every call button for a passenger lift or group of lifts throughout a building.

(2) The requirements of (1) do not apply to a small lift such as a dumb-waiter or the like that is for the transport of goods only.

(3) Each warning sign required by (1) must comply with the details and dimensions of Figure E3D4 and consist of—

1. incised, inlaid or embossed letters on a metal, wood, plastic or similar plate securely and permanently attached to the wall; or
2. letters incised or inlaid directly into the surface of the material forming the wall.

(1) At least one emergency lift complying with (4) must be installed in—

1. a building which has an effective height of more than 25 m; and
2. a Class 9a building in which patient care areas are located at a level that does not have direct egress to a road or open space.

(2) An emergency lift may be combined with a passenger lift and must serve those storeys served by the passenger lift so that all storeys of the building served by passenger lifts are served by at least one emergency lift.

(3) Where two or more passenger lifts are installed and serve the same storeys, excluding a lift that is within an atrium and not contained wholly within a shaft—

1. at least two emergency lifts must be provided to serve those storeys; and
2. if located within different shafts, at least one emergency lift must be provided in each shaft.

(4) An emergency lift must—

1. be contained within a fire-resisting shaft in accordance with C3D11; and
2. in a Class 9a building serving a patient care area—
   1. have minimum dimensions, measured clear of all obstructions, including handrails, etc complying with Table E3D5; and
   2. be connected to a standby power supply system where installed; and
3. if the building has an effective height of more than 75 m, have a rating of at least—
   1. 600 kg if not provided with a stretcher facility; or
   2. 900 kg if provided with a stretcher facility.

Access and egress to and from lift well landings must comply with Parts D2, D3 and D4.

(1) In an accessible building, every passenger lift must be one of the following lift types, subject to the limitations (if any) of each lift type:

1. There are no limitations on the use of electric passenger lifts, electrohydraulic passenger lifts or inclined lifts.
2. Stairway platform lifts must not—
   1. be used to serve a space in a building accommodating more than 100 persons calculated according to D2D18; or
   2. be used in a high traffic public use area such as a theatre, cinema, auditorium, transport interchange, shopping centre or the like; or
   3. be used where it is possible to install another type of passenger lift; or
   4. connect more than 2 storeys; or
   5. where more than 1 stairway lift is installed, serve more than 2 consecutive storeys; or
   6. when in the folded position, encroach on the minimum width of a stairway required by D2D8 to D2D11.
3. A low-rise platform lift must not travel more than 1000 mm.
4. A low-rise, low-speed constant pressure lift must not—
   1. for an enclosed type, travel more than 4 m; or
   2. for an unenclosed type, travel more than 2 m; or
   3. be used in a high traffic public use areas in buildings such as a theatre, cinema, auditorium, transport interchange, shopping complex or the like.
5. A small-sized, low-speed automatic lift must not travel more than 12 m.

(2) A passenger lift referred to in (1) must not rely on a constant pressure device for its operation if the lift car is fully enclosed.

In an accessible building, every passenger lift must have the following features where applicable:

1. A handrail complying with the provisions for a mandatory handrail in AS 1735.12 for all lifts except—
   1. a stairway platform lift; and
   2. a low-rise platform lift.
2. Lift floor dimensions of not less than 1400 mm wide x 1600 mm deep for all lifts which travel more than 12 m.
3. Lift floor dimensions of not less than 1100 mm wide x 1400 mm deep for all lifts which travel not more than 12 m, except a stairway platform lift.
4. Lift floor dimensions of not less than 810 mm wide x 1200 mm deep for a stairway platform lift.
5. Minimum clear door opening complying with AS 1735.12 for all lifts except a stairway platform lift.
6. Passenger protection system complying with AS 1735.12 for all lifts with power-operated doors.
7. Lift landing doors at the upper landing for all lifts except a stairway platform lift.
8. Lift car and landing control buttons complying with AS 1735.12 for all lifts except—
   1. a stairway platform lift; and
   2. a low-rise platform lift.
9. Lighting in accordance with AS 1735.12 for all enclosed lift cars.
10. For all lifts serving more than 2 levels—
    1. automatic audible information within the lift car to identify the level each time the car stops; and
    2. audible and visual indication at each lift landing to indicate the arrival of the lift car; and
    3. audible information and audible indication required by (i) and (ii) is to be provided in a range of between 20 - 80 dB(A) at a maximum frequency of 1500 Hz.
11. Emergency hands-free communication, including a button that alerts a call centre of a problem and a light to signal that the call has been received, for all lifts except a stairway platform lift.

Where lifts serve any storey above an effective height of 12 m, the following must be provided:

1. A fire service recall control switch complying with E3D11 for—
   1. a group of lifts; or
   2. a single lift not in a group that serves the storey.
2. A lift car fire service drive control switch complying with E3D12 for every lift.

(1) Where residents in a Class 9c residential care building are on levels which do not have direct access to a road or open space, the building must be provided with either—

1. at least one lift to accommodate a stretcher in accordance with E3D3(2); or
2. a ramp in accordance with AS 1428.1.

(2) The lift or ramp required by (1) must discharge at a level providing direct access to a road or open space.

(1) Each group of lifts must be provided with one fire service recall control switch required by E3D9 that activates the fire service recall operation at (6).

(2) The switch required by (1) must—

1. be located at the landing nominated by the appropriate authority; and
2. be labelled “FIRE SERVICE” in indelible white lettering on a red background; and
3. have two positions with an “OFF” and an “ON” position identified; and
4. be operable only by the use of a key that is removable in either the “OFF” position or the “ON” position.

(3) Adhesive labels must not be used for compliance with (2)(b) and (c).

(4) The key in (2)(d) must be able to turn all fire service recall control switches in the building and must have a different key combination to other keys used for lifts in the building.

(5) The fire service recall operation must be activated by—

1. switching the fire service recall control switch in (1) to “ON”; or
2. a signal from a fire management system approved by the appropriate authority.

(6) The activation of the fire service recall operation at (5) must—

1. cancel all registered car and landing calls; and
2. inactivate all door reopening devices that may be affected by smoke; and
3. ensure lift cars travelling toward the nominated floor continue to the nominated floor without stopping; and
4. ensure lift cars travelling away from the nominated floor stop at or before the next available floor without opening the doors (either automatically or by the door open button), reverse direction and travel without stopping to the nominated floor; and
5. for lifts stopped at a floor other than the nominated floor, close the doors and travel without stopping to the nominated floor; and
6. ensure that lifts stay at the nominated floor with doors open; and
7. permit all lifts to return to normal service if the fire service recall control switch at (1) is switched to the “OFF” position during or after the fire service recall operation.

(7) The requirements of (6) do not apply to lifts on inspection service or when the lift car fire service control switch required by E3D12 is in the "ON" position.

(8) Lifts having manual controls must signal an alert to the lift for the lift to return to the nominated floor containing the recall switch that activated the signal.

(1) The lift car fire service drive control switch required by E3D9 must be activated from within the lift car.

(2) The switch must—

1. be located between 600 mm and 1500 mm above the lift car floor; and
2. be labelled “FIRE SERVICE” by indelible white lettering on a red background; and
3. have two positions with an “OFF” and an “ON” position identified; and
4. operate only by the use of a key that is removable in either the “OFF” position or the “ON” position.

(3) Adhesive labels must not be used for compliance with (2)(b) or (c).

(4) When the lift car fire service drive control switch at (1) is turned to the "ON" position, the lift must—

1. not respond to the fire service recall control switch; and
2. cancel all registered lift car and landing calls; and
3. override all lift car call access control systems; and
4. inactivate all door reopening devices that may be affected by smoke; and
5. allow the registration of lift car call by lift car call buttons, however the lift doors must not close in response to the registration of lift car calls; and
6. activate door closing by constant pressure being applied on the “door close” button unless the button is released before the doors are fully closed, in which case the doors must reopen and any registered lift car calls must be cancelled; and
7. when the doors are closed, move the lift in response to registered lift car calls while allowing additional lift car calls to also be registered; and
8. travel to the first possible floor in response to registered lift car calls and cancel all registered lift car calls after the lift stops; and
9. ensure doors do not open automatically, rather by constant pressure being applied on the “door open” button unless the button is released before the doors are fully open, in which case the doors must re-close.

(5) The requirements of (4) do not apply to a lift operating on inspection service.

(6) A multi-deck lift installation must have systems in place that—

1. are able to communicate to the fire officer that the fire service drive control switch will not operate until all decks have been cleared of passengers; and
2. ensure there is an appropriate method of clearing all deck landings of passengers; and
3. maintain all doors to deck landings not containing the fire service control switch closed and inoperative while the lift is on fire service drive control.