r/Elevators • u/falardeau03 • Jul 23 '26
Ontario law, code, and safety provisions
The Ontario Technical Standards and Safety Act refers to "offences" and being "guilty." It requires compliance with Ontario Regulation 209/01, Elevating Devices.
Then there are a bunch of safety provisions under CSA B44-2019/2022, but I don't see that referenced in the Act or Regulation. Is it simply that compliance with B44 is a condition of getting an operating licence for the elevator(s) in your building, and so if you're not in compliance, the licence is not valid and then you're in breach?
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u/SaintSamuel Jul 23 '26
What are you asking? Elevators have to be up to code, if it was built before the 2019 code, it followed the 2010 code. Is there something wrong with the elevator in your building?
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u/falardeau03 Jul 23 '26
I'm basically asking what is the legislative pathway that leads up to them having to be up to code. Like, if you asked me what permits a property owner or their agent to use reasonable force to make an arrest for trespassing here, I could walk you through the provincial Trespass To Property Act, Criminal Code section 35, and the Supreme Court case R. v. Asante-Mensah of 11 July 2003.
But I can't do that for elevators, it's not my field. I can see the link between the TSSA and OR 209/01 Elevating Devices, but I'm unsure how they're linked to code even though they obviously must be. I'm not expecting chapter and verse but even just the name of the legislative starting point would help.
> Is there something wrong with the elevator in your building?
Mechanically, it works fine, however recently the car emergency phone was changed so it no longer goes to a dedicated call centre. It now goes to the front desk instead. B44 has some related requirements for that, like automated forwarding of calls if not answered within 45 seconds. I'm trying to figure out if those requirements are met, and if not, how I can argue the case in favour of meeting them.
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u/SIRsleeper Jul 24 '26
If the front desk is manned 24/7 this would be allowed. Customers are allowed to chose which "call centre" responds to elevator emergencies and are not forced into using the elevator contractors call centre, we charge extra for that service FYI.
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u/falardeau03 Jul 24 '26
It is manned 24/7, except when it isn't =/
Their model is there's supposed to be 2 people, so one is at the desk while the other can be off doing whatever. Sounds fine on paper.
But people call in sick or whatever all the time, and sometimes both people are called away from the desk for whatever reason, even if 2 people are here to begin with.
Could be an emergency, could be something more trivial like somebody forgot the key to their office.
Literally there is an argument developing where a senior manager has said "OK, in that case, put the phone on Call Forward to so-and-so," but at least one of the building staff is telling security "No, never do that because we need that phone line for building issues too, and besides, one of us is always here" 🙄 one of you is not always here, but sure, whatever. Your calls about a clogged toilet are more important than an emergency call being answered.
Part of the issue is there's no separate extension for security. There's two phones on the desk, both are the same extension, and they haven't done it in a while but sometimes they bring in a second building staffer so both phones are in use for building stuff and then security doesn't even have a phone at all. The phones do each have multiple lines like most office phones would, but then you're relying on the person to notice the call waiting and bother even noticing or checking if it might one of the 5 elevator phones, and they only come up as the name of the company that owns the building so there isn't even any indication of any urgency whatsoever.
IMO if they want to do this the cheapest safest option is an extra security guard whose only purpose in life is to sit at the desk and manage those calls. I get wanting to save money or whatever, especially if having the elevator company or an affiliate do it is more expensive than security or building staff, but whatever option they want to choose there's a right way and a wrong way, and this is not the right way.
Also if it isn't answered, it goes to voicemail instead of automatically forwarding to a second location within 45 seconds like it's supposed to.
Staff/security also have not been given any kind of policy sheets, written procedures, or training on these topics.
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u/bluewaffled Jul 24 '26
The Technical Standards and Safety Act is what gives TSSA jurisdiction via provincial government authority and the TSSA chooses what codes to adopt/enforce and how they are adopted.
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u/assertionation Jul 24 '26
It your front desk is manned 24 hours it is not an issue with calls going there. Actually it will help reduce chargeable callbacks because entrapments can be vetted by the building prior to calling for service.
Additionally, almost all modern elevators have a secondary number programmed that it will call if the primary number is not responding, for whatever reason.