§ 7.150. Elevator cars.
(a) Construction. Elevator cars shall have metal or combination metal and wood suspension frames and platforms with a safety factor of not less than five, based on the contract load. Cast iron shall not be used in the construction of any member of the car frame or platform other than for guide shoes and guide shoes brackets, nor shall glass be used in an elevator car except for lights and appliances necessary to the operation of the car. Cars shall have only one compartment.
(b) Enclosure. Except at the entrance, cars shall be enclosed at the sides and top. The enclosure at the sides shall be solid or of open work which will reject a ball of 1/2 inch diameter. The car enclosure shall be secured in such a manner that it does not work loose or become displaced in regular service.
(c) Gates. A car door or gate shall be provided at each entrance to a car, as follows:
(1) The door or gate shall, when closed, guard the opening to a height of at least five feet, six inches, and, if on an electric or electrically controlled hydraulic elevator, shall be provided with an electric contact which prevents operation of the elevator unless the car door or gate is within two inches of full closure.
(2) The car door or gate may be manually operated, power operated, or closed by a weight or spring. Collapsible gates shall not be power-opened more than nine inches from full closure.
(3) Car gates shall be of such a design that when fully expanded they will reject a three inch ball.
(4) Car door or gate contacts shall be positively opened by a lever or other device attached to and operated by the door or gate.
(5) Car door or gate contacts shall be maintained in the open position by the action of gravity or a restrained compression spring or both, or by a positive linkage.
(d) Light. There shall be an electric light to illuminate the car, with its switch placed near the car entrance within easy reach of a person before entering the car.
(e) Safety. Elevator cars suspended by wire ropes or chains shall be provided with a car safety capable of stopping and sustaining the car with contract load, as follows:
(1) The car safety shall be of a type operated as the result of the breaking of the suspension means, or by a speed governor. If of the speed governor type, it shall operate to set the safety at a maximum speed of 175 feet per minute, except that on breaking the hoist ropes, the safety shall operate without appreciable delay and independently of the governor speed action.
(2) If a speed governor is used, it shall be located where it is not struck by the car or counterweight in case of overtravel and where there is sufficient space for full movement of the governor parts.
(3) The motor control circuit and the brake control circuit shall be opened before or at the same time the safety applies.
(4) The governor cable shall be of iron, steel, monel metal or phosphor bronze, not less than 1/4 inch in diameter. Tiller rope construction shall not be used for governor ropes.
(5) Elevators of the winding drum type with wire rope suspension shall be provided with a slack rope device of the manually reset type which cuts off the power and stops the elevator machine if the car is obstructed in its descent and the hoist ropes slacken. When the car is suspended by chains, slack chain devices shall be provided which cut off the power and stop the elevator machine if the car is obstructed in its descent and the suspension chains slacken. This device is not required to be of the manually reset type if the chain sprockets are guarded to prevent the chain from jumping off the sprockets.
(6) No safety device which depends upon the completion and maintenance of an electric circuit for the application of the safety shall be used. Car safeties shall be applied mechanically. Cast iron shall not be used in the construction of a car safety when its breakage might result in the failure of the safety to function to sustain the car.
(f) Tests. Tests of the car safety described in subsection (e), with contract load in the car, shall be made before the elevator is put into service. Governor operation of instantaneous-type safeties shall be tested at contract speed by tripping the governor by hand. Safeties operated as the result of the breaking of the hoist ropes shall be tested by obtaining the necessary slack rope to cause them to function.
(g) Capacity plates. A metal plate shall be fastened in a conspicuous place in the car stating the contract load in pounds, in letters and figures not less than 1/4 inch in height.
(h) Emergency signal. An emergency signal shall be provided, operative from the car, and audible outside the hoistway and may be a telephone connected to a central exchange.
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