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FOREWORD TO HANDBOOK

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) has been the publisher of the A 17.1 Code since 1921. The first edition of A17.1, published in 1921, was prepared by a committee sponsored by ASME. From January 1922 until January 1981 ASME acted as the administrative secretariat with the American Institute of Architects (AlA) and the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) as co-secretariats. As of January 1981, AlA and NBS relinquished their roles as co-secretariats, and the A17 Committee was reorganized in accordance with the ANSI Accredited Organization Committee method under the sponsorship of ASME.

This reorganization also prompted a change in the designation of the Code from ANSI A 17.1 to ANSI/ASME A17.1. At the same time, the original title, American National Standard Safety Code for Elevators, Dumbwaiters, Escalators and Moving Walks, was changed to Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators. The title was shortened for convenience, and it should not be construed that the Code no longer covers dumbwaiters, moving walks, or the. other equipment included within the Scope of the Code.

The Code is written by a committee comprised of technically qualified persons who demonstrate a concern and competence in the subject within its scope and with a willingness to participate in the work of the committee. The A 17 Committee consists of over 275 members on the Main Committee, National Interest Review Committee, Technical Committees, Administrative Committees, and Ad Hoc Committees.

ASME recognizes that the Code must be written to be suitable for enforcement purposes by state, municipal, and other jurisdictional authorities; and as such, the text must be concise without examples or explanations. It is also recognized that this Code cannot cover every situation nor can it cover new technology before it is developed and field experience is gained. For these reasons, it was determined that a handbook would be useful to augment the Code by providing a commentary on its requirements.

This first edition of the Handbook contains rationale for the Code requirements; explanations, examples, and illustrations of the implementations of the requirements; and excerpts from other nationally recognized standards which are referenced by the Code. The information was compiled from A 17 Committee minutes, correspondence, and interpretations, as well as conversations with past and present committee members. The original intent for many of the requirements in this Code is obscure in the committee's records. The author therefore has tried to convey, through text and illustrations, the end result ofthe Code requirements as applied to equipment installed today. It should not be construed, however, that the examples and illustrations are the only means for complying with the Code. With information of this type it is hoped that the reader of this Handbook will have a better comprehension of, and appreciation for, the requirements in the ANSI/ASME A17.1-1981 Code.

The commentary contained in this Handbook is the opinion of the author. When an official interpretation is required, the user should write to the Secretary of the ASME A 17 Main Committee in accordance with the instructions given in the Preface to the Code. Comments and suggestions for this and future editions of the Handbook should be addressed to: Secretary, A 17 Main Committee, The American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 345 East 47th Street, New York, New York 10017.