Legal requirements & regulations

Lifts and safety components for lifts must be CE marked when they are made available on the internal market. The CE marking shows that the lifts and components comply with all applicable requirements of current EU legislation.

Lifts may be subject to requirements under several different EU directives. In particular, the following directives may apply to lifts:

Lift Directive, 2014/33/EU
Machinery Directive, 2006/42/EC
The Electromagnetic Compatibility Directive, E MC 2014/30/EU

Also the Planning and Building Ordinance, 2011:338, contains requirements for construction works.

Lift Directive 2014/33/EU

European Union Lift Directive 2014/33/EU specifies minimum requirements for many types of lifts intended for passenger transport. The Lifts Directive has been transposed into Sweden through BFS 2011:12 H12 (last modified by BFS 2024:3 H19). In addition to new installations, this also regulates changes to existing devices, retroactive improvement requirements, inspection, operation, care and maintenance. However, elevators that are intended to be used only by specially instructed personnel are regulated by the Swedish Work Environment Authority.

As of 1 July 1999, all newly installed lifts are required to be CE marked and a declaration of conformity must be issued. In order for a lift or an integral safety component to be put into service, it must also have been inspected by an accredited inspection body.

Work environment

In addition to the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning's regulations for elevators, employees' use of elevators is regulated by the Swedish Work Environment Authority's regulations and general advice, see AFS 2023:11 on work equipment and personal protective equipment – safe use, Chapter 11. Use of lifting devices and lifting equipment. The provisions in this chapter apply to the use of lifting devices and lifting equipment, including elevators, used in the workplace. Among other things, it states that the employer is responsible for ensuring that service and assembly work on elevators is carried out in a way that does not cause risks.

Standardization

As a manufacturer of lifts or safety components, you can use harmonised standards to obtain a presumption of conformity with applicable EU legislation. Participants in the Swedish committee SIS/TK 211 works to influence the design of standards, including by participating in the European work in CEN and the global work within ISO.

All European standards apply throughout the EU/EFTA and thus also become Swedish standards. The CEN and ISO committees are now working together to create the EN ISO 8100 series, a common series of lift standards for the whole world. The EN ISO 8100 series will partly replace the EN 81 series, which is the existing harmonised standard series for lifts and is used as a basis for CE marking.

Regulations