Codes and standards may not sound like the most lively topic for a panel discussion, but at this year’s Lift & Escalator Symposium they prompted plenty of debate.

With the title, “One Global Industry, Many Rulebooks: Are Lift and Escalator Standards Keeping Pace?” and chaired by Adam Scott, the panel brought together Rory Smith representing North America, TAK Mathews offering an Indian perspective, Micky GroverWhite from Europe and Phil Hofer from Asia Pacific.

The discussion widened from the science behind individual requirements to a much bigger question: could we ever have one genuinely global lift standard?

In principle, there was plenty of support for greater harmonisation. Manufacturers working internationally would have fewer variations to design around, while consultants, regulators and building owners would all be speaking more of the same technical language. Indeed, ISO describes harmonisation as one of the aims behind the ISO 8100 series.

Putting that into practice is another matter.