Preface

This is the first edition of CSA Z10535.2, Lifts for the transfer of persons - Installation, use, and maintenance.

This Standard includes additional stakeholders such as manufacturers, suppliers, installers, managers, administrators, trainers, caregivers, operators, maintenance/technical personnel and their employers which were not previously addressed in CAN/CSA-Z10535.1, which is primarily a design standard for manufacture. Evidence from Health Canada's incident reporting justified the creation of this CSA Group Standard due to the numbers of incidents where clients and staff either were seriously injured or had died following misuse, improper installation, or maintenance. Client lifts are very diverse when considering the many different mechanisms of hoisting and accessories which are between the client and the lifting device itself. This diversity can cause confusion and problems if lifts are not installed, used and maintained appropriately and with the proper training.

CSA Group acknowledges that the development of this Standard was made possible, in part, by the financial support of the governments of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon, as administered by the Canadian Association for Drugs and Technology in Health (CADTH).

Scope

1.1
This Standard applies to lifts and accessories used to transfer persons, specifically by suspending from above or supporting from below, between beds, chairs, stretchers, bathtubs, or other similar resting places or standing. This Standard applies to fixed and mobile lifts, lifting arm-or rail-mounted, including lifts often referred to as ceiling-lifts, portable-lifts, floor-lifts, sit-to-stand lifts, bathtub-chair lifts, and their slings, components, and accessories, etc.

Note: Annex A illustrates lift equipment and terminology. Annex B contains cross-references of terms from CAN/CSA-Z10535.1 and this Standard.

1.2
This Standard specifies safety requirements for lifts for the transfer of persons and related practices, including

a) installation;

b) commissioning;

c) inspection;

d) maintenance;

e) testing (performance-verification);

f) care and use; and

g) cleaning and infection control.

1.3
This Standard is intended for use by manufacturers, suppliers, installers, managers, administrators, trainers, caregivers, operators, maintenance/technical personnel, and their employers. The requirements of this Standard are formulated with regard to the needs of both the client being lifted and the caregiver using the lift.

1.4
This Standard does not apply to the design and manufacturing specifications of lifts, which are specified in CAN/CSA-Z10535.1.

1.5
This Standard does not apply to

a) devices that transport persons between two levels (floors) of a building (e.g., elevators, escalators, stair lifts, etc.);

b) beds, stretchers, powered lift chairs, wheeled chairs, or other devices used to transport short distances between locations;

c) air-supported transfer mattresses and mats; and

d) non-powered or inactive lifting aids that statically assist or support a client.

Note: A non-powered lifting aid requires clients to actively support themselves to some extent.

1.6
In this Standard, "shall" is used to express a requirement, i.e., a provision that the user is obliged to satisfy in order to comply with the Standard; "should" is used to express a recommendation or that which is advised but not required; and "may" is used to express an option or that which is permissible within the limits of the Standard.

Notes accompanying clauses do not include requirements or alternative requirements; the purpose of a note accompanying a clause is to separate from the text explanatory or informative material.

Notes to tables and figures are considered part of the table or figure and may be written as requirements.

Annexes are designated normative (mandatory) or informative (non-mandatory) to define their application.

1.7
The values given in SI units are the units of record for the purposes of this Standard. The values given in parenthesis are for information and comparison only.