Certain stakeholders in the elevator industry are concerned that the government’s proposal to adopt European Union standards may be unworkable in Macau, where Chinese-made elevators are prevalent.
The industry has suggested as an alternative the government either adopt the Chinese standards or both the EU and Chinese standards.
Recently, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) released a report following public consultation on the elevator and escalator legislation, which concluded in June.
In the text of the report, the DSSOPT proposes to “make reference to the EU’s latest standards governing escalators and elevators and relevant local stipulations,” suggesting the adoption of EU standards. The proposal has thus caused anxiety across the industry.
Industry practitioners pointed out at the consultation sessions that if the EU standards are adopted alone, Chinese-made facilities may be incompatible, especially when the foreign standards are updated earlier than the Chinese standards.
In such a case, imported elevators and escalators would be unusable.
An industry practitioner, affiliated with the Jiangmen Communal Society, stressed the maturity of the Chinese standards. He questioned whether Chinese standards could at least be adopted in parallel with foreign standards.
On the other hand, the authority also proposed a regulatory framework for technicians in the consultation text. It was proposed that any organization permitted to inspect such facilities must possess a team of specialized technicians. The team should consist of at least two instructing technicians and four inspectors. They must work on a full-time basis and hold the relevant ISO/IEC17020 certification, and inspections must be conducted by this team.
The consultation text also proposed standards on the qualifications of technicians and inspectors. For example, they must have the accreditations stipulated in Law No. 1/2015 and be registered with DSSOPT.
On the framework and requirements, some industry practitioners pointed out that the local requirements are stricter than those in mainland China. They hinted that assigning a team of six for an inspection may pose certain difficulties.
The DSSOPT pledged in a statement that the government will fully consider and refer to the opinions obtained during the public consultation. To conclude, the authority considers that a general consensus on the legislation has been achieved.
The final report is available in both official languages on the DSSOPT website.
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