The application of safety standards for products subject to safety certification and products subject to voluntary safety verification has been put on hold following the revision of the Enforcement Rules of the Quality Management and Product Safety Management Act (hereinafter referred to as the Product Safety Act) ahead of its implementation on July 26.

The revised Product Safety Act will be applied to a total of nine items, including eight items subject to autonomous safety verification in addition to the safety-certified reverse running prevention devices for escalators and braking devices for elevator hoists. This means that 14 items, nine more than the previous five, must be certified by a government-designated elevator parts certification organization before they can be sold in the market.

The amendment, which will take effect this July, stipulates safety standards, safety requirements, and markings for related parts, and will be applied to the first shipment or customs clearance after its implementation, and safety standards can be applied even before its implementation.

However, at the 'Explanatory Meeting on the Expansion of Elevator Parts Certification' held on the 7th floor auditorium of the Korea Testing Institute of Industry and Technology in Guro-dong, Seoul on the 17th of last month, there were conflicts with the industry over the detailed implementation plan proposed by the Korea Testing Institute of Industry and Technology (hereinafter referred to as KITI) and the Korea Testing Institute of Industry and Technology (hereinafter referred to as KTL), making it inevitable to adjust the amendment through in-depth opinion gathering.

In particular, the focus was on whether KTL, which recently acquired KOLAS accreditation for new elevator parts and was designated as an elevator parts certification body, will be able to handle all the new elevator parts certification business that will start next month. "Companies are trying to finalize the certification process before July 26, when the law takes effect, to ensure smooth business activities, but it is doubtful that KTL will be able to handle the rush with its limited staff," said an industry insider.

In addition, various problems were pointed out, such as whether certification applies to replacing parts that were certified and installed before the law was implemented, and how to certify parts that are not included in the model classification and major test items proposed by KTL. Lee Ju-hwan, head of the elevator certification team at KTL's Plant Technology Center, explained, "The model classification for each part is a minimum standard, and models or test items other than the classification must be applied separately."

In response to the industry's pointed out problems, Ki-pyo-won Shin, an official from the Living Product Safety Division, said, "We have already completed the circulation of the bill to related organizations for the past year, but it is very embarrassing that these problems have emerged." "For the next two weeks, we will receive industry opinions on the nine new certified parts safety standards through the Q&A section on the KTL Elevator Quality Certification Center's website or emails to the person in charge to resolve the problems in the bill," he said.

"The industry has already pointed out problems with the details many times, but the government has not accepted them," said the president of a parts company, emphasizing that "the right way to solve problems is through one-on-one interviews, not documents." "If elevator-related parts meet the standards of the current enforcement plan, there is a high probability that shoddy parts will be produced," said the president of another company, emphasizing that "the government and the industry should coordinate their opinions before the law is enforced so that they can carry out active business activities within a reasonable legal framework." "We will start certifying new elevator parts in March after receiving the designation as an elevator parts certification organization from the KITA at the end of this month," said Lee Joo-hwan, head of KTL. "We will consult with the KITA to ensure that the industry is not harmed as much as possible."

'Elevator parts subject to safety certification' based on Article 14 of the Product Engineering Act are six items such as speeders, and certificates are issued through factory inspections and product tests, and follow-up inspections are conducted every two years. In addition, 'Elevator Parts Subject to Autonomous Safety Verification' based on Article 19 of the Product Engineering Act are eight items such as braking devices for elevator hoisters, which are issued with an autonomous safety verification report confirmation certificate after product testing, and follow-up inspections are conducted every five years. Samples of each part are prepared by the company, and upon completion of certification, a certification fee based on Article 32 of the Enforcement Rules of the Public Works Act is paid.

The fee for elevator parts subject to safety certification is in the range of 200 to 525 million won depending on the part, including test fees, factory verification audit fees consisting of travel expenses and allowances for certification auditors, and sample manipulation fees. The test fee may be partially increased when the speed exceeds 5, the emergency stop device is applied to both wet and dry, the rated speed exceeds 3m/s, and the elevator door lock is applied to both alternating and direct current. The fee for elevator parts subject to autonomous safety verification is also set in the range of 1.8 to 4 million won, which includes basic fees, labor, materials, equipment depreciation, and facility maintenance costs. In particular, these parts are priced higher because they include durability tests to ensure reliability, and the certification test period may also be longer, KTL said.