COVID-19 PANDEMIC - SOUTH AFRICA ON TOTAL SHUTDOWN

FROM MIDNIGHT 26TH MARCH 2020

We

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a world-wide phe-nomenom as an infectious disease caused by the ‘severe acute respir-atory syndrome coronavirus-2’ (SARS-CoV-2). The disease started in 2019 in Wuhan, China , and has spread very quickly globally, resulting in the current 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. The most common symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Muscle pain, sputum production and sore throat … are less common symptoms.

Whilst the majority of cases result in mild symptoms, some progress to pneumonia and multi-organ failure. The deaths per number of diag-nosed cases is currently estimated by the World Health Organisation at between 1% and 5%, but varies by age and other health conditions

The infection is spread from one person to others via respiratory drop-lets, mostly produced during coughing and sneezing. Time from expo-sure to onset of symptoms is generally between 2 and 14 days, with an average of 5 days. The standard method of diagnosis is by ‘reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction’ (rRT-PCR) from nasopharyn-geal swab or throat swab. The infection can be diagnosed from a com-bination of symptoms such as risk factors (cardio-vascular, diabetes & heavy smokers) and a chest CT-scan showing features of pneumonia.

Recommended measures to prevent the disease include frequent hand washing, maintaining distance from other people and not touching one's face. The use of masks is recommended for those who suspect they have the virus and their caregivers, but not necessarily the gen-eral public. There is presently no vaccine or specific antiviral treat-ment for COVID-19; management involves treatment of symp-toms, supportive care and experimental measures.

LIFT INSPECTORS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH ESTABLISHED 1996

April 2020 Volume 17 - Issue 4

Recognised Voluntary Association in terms of Section 36(1) of the Engineering Professions Act

EDUCOM fulfills a requirement for Continued Professional Development as specified in the Act No..46 of 2000

ESTABLISHED JANUARY 2003

Educom

INSIDE THIS

ISSUE

ELENET : Latest News from Elev. World

Recently Asked Questions … W du Toit

UK Regulatory Health & Safety News ...

SANAS Communications ... L Grundlingh

Lift Inspections vs Corona Virus ...

Elevator News around the World ...

You be the Judge … Sanjeev Singh

DTI Minister Pater Announcement ...

News Flash from Elevator World ...

ESKOM - Crisis & Opportunity ...

LIASA - Lift Inspectors’ Association ...

- LIASA Meeting Schedule for 2020

- TUT’s Lift Inspector Courses 2020

2 - 3

4

5

6—7

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

COVID-19 DEATHRATE

What will happen to the current RLI and AIA headcount over the next 3 years? 85% are now 60 and over years old,

and with NO new registration intakes?

% DEATHS BY AGE

ELENET #830

DATED 18.03.2020

EW FOCUSES ON EVACUATION SOLU-

TIONS & EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

ELEVATOR WORLD's June issue will focus on Evacuation Solutions and Emergency Op-erations. June also marks the annual ‘People Issue’, and will include a CED (continuing education) article. The dead-line for submissions is April 15. To participate or for more information, contact the EW Editorial Department at phone: 251-479-4514, ext. 30 or editorial@elevatorworld. com.

ELEVATOR WORLD AC-CEPTING 2020 PEOPLE ISSUE NOMINATIONS

Know of someone in the ele-vator industry who is deserv-ing of recognition? If so, now is the time to submit nomina-tions for the ELEVATOR WORLD 2020 People Issue, to be published in June. The elevator industry is built on dedicated, hardworking peo-ple and their stories, ideas, opinions, contributions and successes.

EW's goal is to provide read-ers with stories of a diverse array of professionals who

make an impact on our indus-try through the work they do for their companies, their communities and the industry as a whole.

To submit a nomination, visit the online form. Be sure to explain the nominee's contri-butions to his or her company, community and the elevator industry, and/or their interest-ing story.

ECNY SUPPLIER SHOW-CASE, BUILDINGSNY

RESCHEDULED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS

The Elevator Conference of New York (ECNY) Supplier Showcase has been resched-uled to October 22. The event will be held at the Villa Barone Manor in Bronx, New York.

Additionally, another industry-related expo, BuildingsNY 2020, will be postponed until June 17-18 at the Javits Cen-ter in Manhattan.

This news follows Gov. An-drew Cuomo's announcement of a ban on gatherings of 500 or more in New York due to the coronavirus crisis.

LATEST NEWS from ELEVATOR WORLD

Page 2

ELEVATOR WORLD focuses on Emerging

Technology

Elevator World’s October issue will focus on Emerg-ing Technology, including the Internet of Things, artifi-cial intelligence, virtual real-ity, robotics and more.

There will also be a special section … ‘The Interlift Is-sue’. Bonus distribution will be at Interlift on October 15-18. There will also be a CPD (Continuing profes-sional education arti-cle) ...so don’t miss it!

ELENET is a registered trademark and all rights are reserved ...

Copyright 2019 © Eleva-tor World, Inc.

354 Morgan Avenue

Mobile: AL 36606

Phone: (251) 479-4514,

Telefax: (251) 479-7043

Internet :

www.elevator world.com Commeth the hour …

Commeth the man!

Page 3

IAEE POSTPONES ELEVCON

The International Association of Elevator Engineers (IAEE) has announced the postpone-ment of Elevcon 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. It will be rescheduled for a date in 2021, still to be held in Pra-gue at the Grandior Hotel.

POSITIVE CORONAVIRUS TESTS PROMPT ELEVA-TOR PLANT CLOSURE

Thyssenkrupp has suspend-ed operations at its elevator factory in Neuhausen, Ger-many, near Stuttgart, after two employees tested posi-tive for corona virus.

Reuters is among news out-lets to report. Citing an e-mailed statement from Thyssenkrupp, the source says the plant closed on March 16 and will remain closed for a minimum of 14 days. Administrative staff have been asked to work from home.

These moves come as com-panies including Volkswa-gen suspend production at their European factories due to the coronavirus pandem-ic.

GERMANY'S UVIS SEEING UPTICK IN BUSINESS DUE

TO CORONAVIRUS

UVIS UV-Innovative Solutions GmbH, headquartered in Co-logne, Germany, tells ELEVA-TOR WORLD it is seeing an uptick in business as public-transit systems, shopping malls

and others focus on sanitizing public areas. This includes escalator handrails and eleva-tor cabs, in light of the corona-virus pandemic.

"We are very busy receiving escalated requests from all over the world for our ser-vices," says Katharina Obla-den, who runs the company with business partner Tanja Nickel.

Originally marketed only to public-transit systems, UVIS's ESCALITE ultraviolet disin-fection modules are now be-ing installed in shopping malls, and the company unveiled an antimicrobial coating for ele-vators at Interlift 2019.

Among coronavirus-related ul-traviolet-light disinfection devel-opments are a public-transit firm in Shanghai implementing such a system for elevator cabs and buses and a mall in the U.A.E. installing one on its escalator handrails.

THYSSENKRUPP DEBUTS SMART DATA

WAREHOUSE IN INDIA

Following the February inaugu-ration of its first Smart Data Technological Warehouse in Madrid (ELENET 824), Thys-senkrupp Elevator opened its first such warehouse in Chakan, India, the company announced on March 11.

Catering to both domestic and regional markets, including Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, the 10,000 ft² ware-house supports field require-ments, imports and inventory. It has the capacity to handle more than 10,000 orders annu-ally, and will eventually be con-

nected to MAX, installed in more than 120,000 elevators worldwide, so as to increase inventory planning accuracy.

The aim is to ensure "total availability of all spare parts and optimize their logistics through analysis and pro-cessing of data collected in real time," Thyssenkrupp Elevator India CEO Manish Mehan said. The system, according to the company, results in a 10% re-duction in number of trips by technicians, a 20% reduction in wait times and a reduction in environmental impact.

990-FT-TALL TOWER AT NYC'S HISTORIC SEA-

PORT ENVISIONED

Howard Hughes Corp. enlisted Skidmore Owings and Merrill (SOM) to create a master plan for a lot at 250 Water Street in Lower Manhattan's historic South Port Seaport that inclu-des a potentially 990-ft-tall resi-dential tower. A version being "most seriously considered," according to the source, in-volves dual towers.

To make it happen, Howard Hughes will have to get the green light from the NYC Eco-nomic Development Corp. to transfer more than 700,000 unused development rights, which would change current zoning allowing for buildings of only about 12 stories.

In addition to a "series of oner-ous reviews," the developer would have to make improve-ments to the district that in-clude a new six-story, 30,000-ft2 building for the South Street Seaport Museum and a new 75,000-ft2 New Market building.

RECENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS … Willem du Toit

Page 4

Q: Is escalator step demarcation a requirement or a nice to

have?

A: EN 115-1:2008 and EN 115-2010 in clause 5.3.5 reads

“Demarcation (e.g. groove in the step thread) shall be pro-

vided to highlight at the landings the rear edge of the

steps”. The “rear edge” of the step is confusing, because

if you change the direction of the escalator, the rear edge

does not stay the rear.

I would therefore accept that the best part of the step to

mark will be on the riser side of the step.

Q: Why are there old lifts running at speeds of 1.5 m/s with

spring buffers in their pits?

A: Long before we knew about EN 81-1 or “reduced stroke buffering” in South Africa, we

(Otis) already installed lifts complying with that requirement.

The Otis UMV (Unit Multi Voltage) with generators (DC in other words) running at 1.5 m/s

also had a stopping switches on the lift cars. These stopping switches were activated by

two long cams at the terminal ends of the lift shafts to force the lift speed down to 1 m/s.

Therefore the spring buffers in the pits on 1,5m/s contract speed.

The problem then is that the lift service providers often upgrade these lifts totally una-

ware of the reduced stroke buffering. They remove the stopping switches and the cams

without replacing the spring buffers with hydraulic buffers or to provide another means of

force slow-down at the terminal landings.

Q: Is it still a requirement to change the suspension ropes at the mines every 10 years?

A: Although there is a new chapter 8 in the mining regulations, chapter 17 was not repealed.

Regulation 17.29.3 called for the connections to be replaced after 10 years … or ... when

the ropes are changed, whichever is the shorter period.

Current litigation requiring ‘Expert Witness’ participation has produced glaring omissions by

the contracted lift service providers. These inter alia are …

Service providers are not retaining the regulatory records of maintenance, repair

and test logs in their record books (RB’s) …

Service providers are not retaining RB’s in the MR’s for prescribed min 10 years ...

Service providers are not carrying out their 6-monthly rope inspections; annual

over-speed governor and safety-gear tests & annual Car & Cwt buffering tests …

Service providers are still not logging every stop/break-down fixing and repair in

the RB’s, especially occupied entrapments …

Service providers are still not ensuring that Annex ‘B’ comprehensive inspections

are carried out at least every 24 months and the reports displayed in the MR’s ...

SEPTEMBER 2010 OHSACT AMENDMENTS …

Page 5 Page 5

Allianz - UK Lift Health & Safety News …

Geoff.hayward@allianz.co.uk

WORKER FALLS DOWN LIFT SHAFT

Flybe Ltd has been fined today after an investiga-

tion into a worker falling into a lift shaft at Exeter

Airport uncovered health and safety failings.

Exeter Magistrates’ Court heard that on 15th May Last year, a 34-year-old employee was moving a loaded lift trolley in the tool department of Hanger 2 when he fell into the lift shaft to the bottom floor and suffered injuries.

Although the exact cause of the incident could not be established, the HSE investigation found that ... the lift doors had a fault which meant that they defaulted to locked. As a result, the emergency door release key was being used by employees while the lift doors remained locked.

Flybe Ltd pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and has been fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £9,963.16.

Speaking after the hearing HSE inspector Emma O’Hara said: “Despite a fault, busy workers who were moving parts and tools felt compelled to keep the lift in use. The safety features of the lift were therefore made redundant.

“The lift should have been taken out of service or an alternative system of work should have been in

place, and this should have been communicated.

“HSE will not hesitate to take appropriate enforce-ment action against those that fall below required standards.”

LIFT INSPECTORS CONFESSION

Working for a certain police training establishment, I

had the following experience. I was walking through

the training area to get to one of the lifts I was going

to examine. On this particular day there was a VIP

being interviewed, as he was walking through the

training area. I thought he was some Government

minister (I should explain the training area is a set of

dummy streets, just the front facades) there was a

cameraman, a man with a sound boom and a report-

er all walking with the VIP. There were a few other

people in the group as they walked past me.

Then out of nowhere a gunman appeared round the

corner and started shooting at the VIP. I flung myself

to the floor, tool bag and lift barrier flying in all di-

rections, then looking up my escort was crested up

in agony with hysterical laughter.

Yes, it was a training exercise. The VIP, camera man,

sound boom man, reporter and gun man were all

instructors. One of the others in the group was a

‘Close Protection Officer’ undergoing his training.

I picked myself up, picked up my tools and barrier

and walked sheepishly past the group of people to

complete my lift inspection. Of the onlookers hud-

dled in the street, no one could bring themselves to

look at me … as they were all in fits of laughter.

UK REGULATORY HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS ...

“Companies should be aware that HSE will

not hesitate to take appropriate enforce-

ment action against those that fall below

the required standard.”

Page 6

SANAS COMMUNICATIONS ...

Guidelines for Calibration Intervals and Recalibration Part I: Background

In the February 2020 version of the Educom, we re-

ported on how Metrological Traceability impacts our

Approved Inspection Authorities (AIAs) for Lift, Esca-

lator and Passenger Conveyors (LEPC). In this edi-

tion, we would like to continue with the topic by giving

some guidelines on Calibration Intervals and Recal-

ibration.

Definition:

Calibration Interval: The period over which

there is an estimated high probability that the

performance of the instrument will remain

within the desired specification.

Calibration Intervals

Gauges and instruments should be recalibrated be-

fore drift or wear cause them to be unfit for their in-

tended purpose. The rate of drift or wear in each ap-

plication is estimated by projection from past calibra-

tion history. {This is why SANAS calibration certifi-

cates should contain actual calibration measurement

results (before and after any necessary adjustment),

not just “pass” of “fail”. Only the former can provide

the data needed to determine the calibration interval}

Calibration intervals should be chosen to give the de-

sired confidence in measurements for an acceptable

cost of calibration. The desired confidence depends

on the risk and consequences of an inaccurate meas-

urement. These factors are determined by the user

and are therefore subject to discussion between the

laboratory and the user.

Calibration Laboratories are not permitted to in-

clude any recommendation on the calibration in-

terval unless this is agreed to by the customer or

it is a legal requirement.

Recalibration Calibration is necessary in order to establish confi-

dence in the performance of a gauge or instrument. A

calibration history supported by certificates contrib-

utes to this confidence. It is, therefore, good practice

to compare new calibration results with old ones. In

certain circumstances it may be possible to reduce

the amount of “new” calibration work based on con-

sistency with previous results.

For example: The full procedure for calibrating

gauge blocks by interferometry requires that a meas-

urement be made with one face of the gauge block

wrung to the platen, followed by a second measure-

ment with the other face wrung to the platen. The av-

erage of the two measurements is taken as the result.

However, if the first measurement is found to agree

well with a previous measurement as recorded on a

certificate, it may be decided not to proceed with the

second measurement, thereby reducing costs.

Introduction to Methods for Determining

Calibration Intervals

An important aspect of the efficient operation of a cali-

bration system is the determination of the maximum

period between successive calibrations of measure-

ment standards and measuring equipment. Many fac-

tors influence the frequency of calibration.

The most important of these factors are:

• Uncertainty of measurement;

• type of equipment;

• manufacturer’s recommendations;

• trend data obtained from previous calibration rec

ommendations;

• recorded history of maintenance and servicing;

• extent and severity of use;

• tendency to wear and drift;

• frequency of cross-checking against other measur-

ing equipment, particularly measuring standards;

• frequency and formality of inhouse check calibra-

tions;

• environmental conditions (temperature, humidity,

vibration, etc);

• accuracy of measurement sought;

• the penalty of an incorrect measured value being accepted as correct because the measuring equip-ment has become faulty.

The cost of calibration cannot normally be ignored in determining calibration intervals and this may there-fore be a limiting factor. It is obvious from all these

stated factors that a list of calibration intervals which can

Page 7

be universally applied cannot be constructed. It is

more useful to present guidelines on how calibration

intervals may be established and then reviewed once

calibration on a routine basis is underway.

There are two basic and opposing criteria which are

required to be balanced when deciding on the cali-

bration intervals for each item of measuring equip-

ment. These are:

• the risk of measuring equipment failing to con-

form to specification when in use should be as

small as possible;

• keeping the calibration costs to a minimum.

Initial Choice of Calibration Intervals

The basis of the initial decision in determining the

calibration interval is invariably the so-called engi-

neering intuition. Someone with experience of meas-

urements in general, or of the measuring equipment

to be calibrated, and preferably with knowledge of

the intervals used by other users, makes an estimate

for each item of equipment or group of items as to

the length of time it is likely to remain within toler-

ance after calibration.

Factors to be considered are:

• the equipment manufacturer’s recommendation;

• the expected extent and severity of use;

• the influence of the environment;

• the required uncertainty of measurement;

• published data about the same or similar items;

• any legal requirement;

• the accuracy of measurement sought.

Methods of Reviewing Calibration

Intervals

A system which maintains calibration intervals with-

out review, determined only by so-called engineering

intuition is not considered to be sufficiently reliable.

Once calibration on a routine basis has been estab-

lished, adjustment of the calibration intervals should

be possible in order to optimize the balance of risks

and costs as stated in the introduction. It will proba-

bly be found that the intervals initially selected are

not giving the desired optimum results: items of

equipment may be less reliable than expected; their

usage may not be as expected; it may be sufficient

to carry out a limited calibration of certain items in-

stead of a full calibration, the drift determined by the

regular calibration of the equipment may show that

longer calibration intervals are possible without in-

creasing the risks, and so on.

If shortage of money or shortage of staff means that

extended calibration intervals are necessary, it

should not be forgotten that the costs of using inac-

curate measuring equipment may be significant. If an

estimate of these costs is made, it may well be found

to be more economic to spend more money on cali-

bration and to reduce the calibration intervals.

A range of methods is available for reviewing the

calibration intervals. These differ according to wheth-

er:

• items of equipment are treated individually or as

groups (for example, by maker or by type);

• items fail to comply with their specifications due to

drift with the lapse of time, or by usage;

• data are available, and importance is attached to

the history of calibration of the equipment.

No one method is ideally suited for the full

range of equipment encountered.

Next month in Part II we will discuss the different

methods that are available to determine calibration

intervals.

Linda Grundlingh 19 March 2020

References:

1. SANAS TG 05-05

2. Accreditation Act No. 19 of 2006: Accredita-

tion for Conformity Assessment, Calibration

and Good Laboratory Practice Act, 2006

LIFT & ESCALATOR INSPECTIONS vs CORONA VIRUS

For the first time in our present-day lives, are we faced with a major pandemic to which we have no direct preventative answer at this stage. This cascades down to the lift industry where lifts have to be kept operative in especially the high-rise buildings, inclusive of releasing entrapped persons from these lifts in event of break-down.

A spinoff to this problem is the carrying out of Annex ‘B’ inspections as per Government Regula-tions. The progress of the virus over the next 4 to 6 weeks will be critical in determining the way forward. Even with a total lock-down by Govern-ment, will technicians still be required to keep lifts running and extricating entrapped persons.

As regards the need for AIA’s going out to inspect these lifts, may require DoL extending the validi-ty of the comprehensive reports to be practical.

Page 8

UK CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE ALLIANZ HEALTH & SAFETY NEWS

(February 26th Address)

“After the recent battering from Storms Ciara

and Dennis, I’m sure lots of us are looking for-

ward to the summer holidays. I’ve never been

one to wish my life away, but it is tempting to

think of warmer times and climes.

This is a long winded way to lead into the topic

of technology (please bear with me) as last sum-

mer I was in Japan, the home of technology.

Having robots take your order in restaurants and

check you into hotels is the norm there and now

they are looking at how this can be used to as-

sist an ageing population. A fact I recently

heard, is that they sell more adult nappies than

infant ones in Japan.

In care homes they have brought in robots to

keep the residents occupied with quizzes, sing

songs and exercise classes. There are now exo-

skeleton suits which help protect staff from mus-

cular injury by assisting them with lifting people

and other loads. How long before we see this in

this country?

This brings me to my main reason to discuss

technology or the lack of it within our industry.

I’ve been a lift/crane surveyor (inspector) with

Zurich for 22 years and very little has changed

or been brought in to assist us in our day to day

inspections. The only new tool that I can think of

is the voltage pen we use in Zurich, which has

been great in stopping the numerous pit entries

when you have so many limit switches to test.

I know people will say what about the laptops,

tablets, mobiles, mobile printers but I’m talking

about helping us in our day to day inspections

rather than the tools that help with measuring.

A friend of mine is a qualified drone pilot and

recently flew one up a chimney (smoke stack) in

an incinerator plant, obviously while on a shut

down and this machine was fitted with cameras

and spotlights, enabling the client to check for

any damage. I believe that some inspection

companies are looking at drone technology but

how will they check for loose bolts? In most cas-

es, there really is no substitute for … warm

hands on cold metal.

Anyway, this was really to try and start a debate

and even enlighten me ... if you know of or es-

pecially have examples of where technology

is making our inspection tasks easier and

safer in your sphere of inspections ...

Please feel free to write in and contribute ...

Stay safe out there and take care.

Mark Sheardown”

Rare work death jail term exposes jus-

tice shortfall - 15 February 2020

A rare occasion where a negligent employer (UK) was jailed for manslaughter has highlighted a wide-spread failure to hold negligent directors to account for deaths at work. TWL director Han Rao was sen-tenced to four years for the manslaughter of em-ployee Marian Iancu at the ‘Old Bailey’ this month.

An HSE statement noted: “The sentence handed to Mr Rao for the manslaughter of employee Mr Iancu whilst going about his work, reflects the seriousness with which the courts can regard this kind of crime, albeit with a relatively short prison term given the nature of the crime”.

Sadly, manslaughter prosecutions of employers who kill are rare and convictions at trial even rarer. This is despite the fact that when manslaughter laws were reviewed and new a corporate manslaughter law was put in place in 2008, it was estimated there would be a large increase in cases brought to trial. This has not manifested - Persons too scared!

“There is also the anomaly in law which is yet to be corrected where directors on the board, typically of larger companies, escape this type of prosecution if there is no evidence of a direct link from their ac-tions or inaction to the incident at the workplace and where roles and relationships can become com-plex and easier to hide behind.

ELEVATOR NEWS AROUND THE ELEVATOR NEWS AROUND THE WORLD ...WORLD ...

This article is a follow up to last month’s article, and some feedback regarding the most recent engagement at

the LEPC stakeholder forum.

The regulator has again re-iterated that there is no need to issue a directive to clarify the definition of the

“inspection service provider” as the definition within the regulation is clear enough. The regulator has howev-

er, undertaken to furnish further information after consultation with the L.E.A.

In line with references detailed in the regulations, there will be a concerted drive to name mandatory reports

correctly (there is no reference to Annexures in the regulations). Taking into consideration that the historic

references (Annexure A, Annexure B etc) are SABS references, and further that SABS will not allow standards

references on mandatory certificates in the near future, Commissioning and Comprehensive Report templates

will be issued by the Regulator. Such reports will be named in accordance with the regulations and the

“Annexure” concept will fall away. It is important to note that the new commissioning reports will include a

facility for the report to be signed off by a “Registered Lift Inspector”. Accordingly, there will be no need for a

directive from the regulator that Commissioning Reports need to be signed off by an R.L.I. as this is an obvious

expectation by virtue of the new Commissioning Reports. Such reports are in draft stage and will be issued by

the regulator in due course.

With specific reference to sub-regulation 7.3;

If maintenance or an examination carried out in terms of sub regulation (1) or a test carried out in terms of sub regulation (2) shows that a weakness or defect exists whereby persons are endan-gered, the competent lift service provider shall report the weakness or defect immediately to the user and the provincial director, and no person shall be conveyed in or allowed to be conveyed in or on such lift, escalator or passenger conveyor or to enter such access goods only lift until such defect has been rectified to the satisfaction of an inspection service provider.

The regulator has been made aware that ISP’s are not being called upon to verify the correction of serious de-

fects due to a multitude of reasons. Costs and availability being the primary reasons. We have made a request

for the sub-regulation to be amended to read;

If maintenance or an examination carried out in terms of sub regulation (1) or a test carried out in terms of sub regulation (2) shows that a weakness or defect exists whereby persons are endan-gered, the competent lift service provider shall report the weakness or defect immediately to the user and the provincial director, and no person shall be conveyed in or allowed to be conveyed in or on such lift, escalator or passenger conveyor or to enter such access goods only lift until such defect has been rectified to the satisfaction of a Registered Lift Inspector.

The regulator has indicated that our motivation is being considered and will provide feedback in due course.

Due to the pressure we are all under to complete activities before the nationwide lockdown, the subject

aligned column of “you be the judge” will resume next month.

The column will focus on three controversial, but highly applicable, topics:

The notorious “comprehensive maintenance contact”.

Guarantee of the availability of spare parts.

When are parts “obsolete”?

Until then, take care of yourself and your families.

YOU BE THE JUDGE ... Sanjeev SinghYOU BE THE JUDGE ... Sanjeev Singh

Page 9

Page 10

MEDIA RELEASE DATE: 25 MARCH 2020

MINISTER PATEL ANNOUNCES ESSENTIAL SERVICE APPLICATION PORTAL The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ebrahim Patel has announced that all businesses that will be allowed to

provide essential services are required to seek approval from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competi-

tion (the dtic) in order for them to trade during the period of the lockdown in terms of the regulations published

today by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Ms Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in Regu-

lation Gazette No. 11062

Such businesses are required to apply to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission

(CIPC) Bizportal website at www.bizportal.gov.za and obtain a certificate from the Commission that

allows them to continue trading. The Bizportal website will contain a menu icon listed as “Essential

Service Businesses” through which an application can be made to the CIPC.

The application will be a simple declaration requiring minimal registration details, type of business/

trade involved in, what trading name if any is used an d whether it meets the requirements contained

in the essential services list, the contact details of the person applying as well as the number of em-

ployees that will be working during the lockdown period.

The CIPC registry will then pre-populate the remaining company information and email a certificate

stating that the business is allowed to remain trading.

The certificate can then be used as evidence to authorities requiring same that indeed the business

has been given government permission to trade and that its employees are able to have unrestricted

movement ONLY in the course of that trade.

It should be stressed and noted that if you make a false application to the CIPC, and are indeed not

an essential service as per the government regulations, such will be taken as a fraudulent application

and will render yourself as applicant liable to criminal prosecution and sanction.

This service will be available tomorrow morning 26 March 2020

at the start of business trading hours.

Enquiries:

Sidwell Medupe-Departmental Spokesperson Tel: (012) 394 1650 Mobile: 079 492 1774 E-mail: MSMedupe@thedti.gov.za

Issued by: The Department of Trade and Industry Follow us on Twitter: @the_dti

CORONAVIRUS INDUSTRY UPDATE

ELEVATOR WORLD (EW) has been the vertical-transportation industry’s source for news and information for 67 years, and we aim to continue to be during the coronavirus pandemic affecting readers, advertisers, employees, contributors and associates around the world. With magazines in the U.S., India, the Middle East, Turkey, Europe and the U.K. and a strong online presence, EW has a wide reach. We will share your company news as often as it comes in, so please send it to us at email. Current updates include:

Wurtec, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, with six North American locations and one in Asia, reports employees are working from home where possible and practicing social distancing and proper hygiene per Centers for Disease Con-trol recommendations. All facilities remain open for business, although with slightly reduced capacity in most cases. Read President/CEO Steve Wurth’s full statement.

Canadian Elevator Contractors Association Executive Director Catharine Bothwell shared the Ontario list of essential workplaces, including those that employ elevator and escalator technicians, and the Quebec list of Priority services and activities, which includes entities providing elevator maintenance. CECA will provide additional information as it becomes available.

Ziehl-Abegg SE, headquartered in Künzelsau, Germany, said on LinkedIn all its production facilities and offices world-wide remain in operation, with employees working from home, where possible, or in shifts.

NATIONAL ELEVATOR INDUSTRY INC.

UPDATES MEMBERS, INDUSTRY ON CORONAVIRUS

The National Elevator Industry, Inc. (NEII) reported that it is actively engaged to ensure elevator work contin-ues. There were no known jurisdictions restricting elevator companies from performing … ongoing preventive maintenance, callbacks, responses to entrapments or shutdowns of elevators and escalators as of March 20, adding that it is working to ensure all elevator work is deemed “essential” in all buildings.

However, a few jurisdictions have changed their policies on inspections, with Georgia no longer conducting them, Maryland suspending acceptance inspections and Ohio suspending annual inspections. Manufacturing was suspended in Pennsylvania. NEII is updating a page on its website with details and updates for each state as new information is obtained. Likewise, Stateside Associates, the legislative and regulatory tracking service NEII uses for advocacy support, is updating its page for the pandemic daily with state and local government responses.

NEII has also developed safety/hygiene tips for the riding public and facility managers, which it encourages companies to download and/or share to pass along to customers. Finally, its annual membership meeting, originally scheduled for April 22, has been postponed. Rescheduling for late summer or fall is likely. The organ-ization said to not hesitate to contact its staff with any questions at email.

LATEST EVENT CANCELLATIONS, POSTPONEMENTS The following industry events have recently been canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic:

ExpoElevador, the biennial tradeshow in São Paulo, Brazil, has been rescheduled to March 1-3, 2021. For more information, contact organizer Cardoso Almeida Eventos at phone: (55) 22-2648-9751 or email.

The European Lift Association (ELA) General Assembly and Annual Conference has been postponed to a yet-undetermined date in September as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The location, previously Brussels, Belgium, is also subject to change. We will keep you updated >

NEWS FLASH FROM ELEVATOR WORLD NEWS FLASH FROM ELEVATOR WORLD … … 25TH MARCH 202025TH MARCH 2020

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“Amidst Covid-19, an oil price war and financial market chaos, the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) has updated its data on load shedding. By Friday 13 March 2020, South Africa had already experienced 88% of the load shedding that it endured in the whole of 2019. I will write it again: 11 weeks into 2020 ... South Afri-ca has already experienced 88% of all the load shedding that it en-dured in the 52 weeks of 2019.

An Animal Called EAF (Energy Availability Factor)

The reason for Eskom’s insufficient supply is the poor performance of its plant as measured by EAF – a measurement of how efficient Eskom’s power stations are. This has declined from over 88% in 2000 to 67% in 2019. The CSIR expects it to decline further to 64%. (There was a brief period in January when it was sitting at 61%.). The IRP (Integrated Resource Plan), which is the Holy Grail of energy planning, assumes an EAF of 75%. Eskom’s own forward planning assumes an EAF of more than 70%. It is certain that none of these 70%+ figures will be reached, primarily for two reasons ...

Firstly, more than 50% of the power stations are now 37 years old and have been poorly maintained ... Old equipment poorly maintained cannot deliver high EAFs.

Secondly, there are serious design faults with both Medupi and Kusile, preventing these two plants from operating at full capacity. Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter has revealed that boilers at both Medupi and Kusile must be modified by adding 12,5 metres to their height to reduce exhaust steam temperatures.

The boilers are currently 130 metres tall with the temperature of the exhaust steam 128°C, which is too hot and damages the equipment. The units can therefore not be run at full capacity. Each of the 12 gener-ating units at Medupi and Kusile will have to be switched off for at least 75 days to add the 12,5 metres - that is 900 days of being switched off!

The current poor quality of the coal also affects the EAF.

Maintenance Mantra

To improve its EAF, Eskom has adopted a ‘philosophy maintenance’ policy. This programme involves regular maintenance and refurbishment of equipment as prescribed by the original equipment manufacturers. Ironically, more maintenance means more load shedding. Power plants must be switched off to be main-tained. De Ruyter therefore warned that … load shedding will be with us for at least the next 18 months.

He also warned that the maintenance programme must be supported (i.e. load shedding endured) or the country can expect regular load shedding of 8 000 MW (stage 8) by mid-2021 due to a further declining EAF.

Some electricity commentators are even more skeptical than De Ruyter and allege that load shedding will

‘carry on for five years’.

The CSIR says it can take two to three years to end load shedding, depending on what decisions are taken (my

emphasis). Those decisions relate to investment and the way the country organises its electricity industry. The

only permanent answer to load shedding is new investment in new capacity. That, in turn, requires a whole-

sale re-organisation of the electricity industry in South Africa.”

ESKOM ESKOM … … CRISIS & OPPORTUNITYCRISIS & OPPORTUNITY : 17 March 2020 : 17 March 2020 (www.jplandman.co.za)(www.jplandman.co.za)

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JP Landman

Political & Trend Analyst

LIASA NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 2020

National Executive Chairman - Sanjeev Singh - 083 789 9455

Nat. Executive Deputy Chairman - Clifford Kleinhans - 084 089 5872

Nat. Executive Secretary - Bonnie Peden - 0823 536 2579

Nat. Executive Treasurer - Mickey Martin - 082 330 2126

Reg. Chairman Western Cape (Cape Town) - Fred Webb 079 514 7384

Reg. Chairman Eastern Cape (PE) - Brandon Brown - 076 737 8673

Reg. Chairman K.Z.Natal (Durban) - Sanjeev Singh - 083 789 9455

Reg. Chairman Free State (Bloemfontein) - TBA -(Jaco van Niekerk)

Reg. Chairman Northern Gauteng - Willem du Toit - 083 693 4731

Additional Excom Members 2019/20 : Hennie Hudson 082 389 5616; Kerwin White 083 307 6216; Jackkie Gokwamilwe 072 988 3115

Ex Officio Past Chairmen - Dr Theo Kleinhans; Ronnie Branders

PAST & CURRENT CHAIRMEN: Steve le Roux (1995-7)†: Dr Theo Kleinhans (1997-2003); Ben Peyper (2003-6)†; Sanjeev Singh (2006-15); Ronnie Branders (2015-18); Sanjeev Singh (2018-

HONORARY LIFE MEMBERS: Eddie Cook (2017); Mannie Perreira (2017);

DOYENS OF THE LIFT INDUSTRY AWARDS: Buddie Cerone (2004)†;

Schalk van der merwe (2005)†; Dr Theo Kleinhans (2006 & 2011); Wil-lem du Toit (2008 & 2015); Bruno Isler (2009 & 2016); Alfie da Sil-va (2010); Manny Perreira (2010); Peter Murray (2012); Sanjeev

Singh (2013); Rodney Coetzee (2014)†; Billy Clifton (2014); Mickey Martin (2017);

LIASA CONSTITUTED MARCH 1996

Lift Inspectors Association of South Africa Lift Inspectors Association of South Africa

Stats BuildingStats Building Suite 108, 1Suite 108, 1stst FloorFloor

2 Fore Street, Alberton, 14502 Fore Street, Alberton, 1450 Tel: (011) 907 0133 Tel: (011) 907 0133 Fax: (011) 907 0131 Fax: (011) 907 0131

Email: Email: iliasa@zamail.co.zailiasa@zamail.co.za Website: Website: www.iliasa.org.zawww.iliasa.org.za

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LIASA MEETING SCHEDULE 2020

Proposed meeting schedule 09:00 < 13:00 on ...

Wednesday 8th April … MEETING CANCELLED!

Wednesday 10th June … general meeting

Wednesday 5th August … general meeting

Wednesday 7th October … AGM & Awards.

Meetings will be held at ...

HI-TECH TRAINING ACADEMY, 1327 SPYKER CRES., STORMHILL

(Maraisburg - just off Main Reef Road)

LIFT INSPECTORS’ COURSES 2020

1. 29 June 2020 - 3 July 2020 Exam: 18 July 2020 2. 2 November 2020 - 6 November 2020 Exam: 21 November 2020

The details of the new lady who will help you with eve-rything is:

Annette van der Poel Departmental Administrator Technology Station in Electronics Faculty of Engineering & Built Environment CSIR, Building 14D Tshwane University of Technology, Building 6, Room 366 CSIR Contact Nr: 081 324 8313 / 012 382 5039 TUT Contact Nr: 012 382 5038

E-mail address: vanderpoelA@tut.ac.za

LIASA is recognised by ECSA as a Voluntary Association to represent the ECSA registered RLI’s