The new standard EN 81-20 was approved in 2014 by the European Committee for Standardization CEN and released end of year 2014 by the Deutsches Institut für Normung DIN. This release means that the EN 81-20 standard is regarded as approved and mandatory in Germany.
From 1. September 2017 on, the EN 81-20 standard will be the only valid standard.
As an interim phase, the two existing standards EN 81-1/2 will be effective in parallel to the new standard EN 81-20 until 1. September 2017.

The EN 81-20 standard applies for both electrical cable and hydraulic lifts and will thus replace the existing standards EN 81-1 and EN 81-2.

The new standard applies for passenger and material lifts. It determines the rules for the construction and installation of lifts which had to be adapted to remain state of the art.
Another purpose of the standard is the definition of safety standards to achieve a better protection of passengers, service personnel and inspectors against accident risks which can occur during normal operation, maintenance and emergency operation.

Through these changes, the safety standards in the lift industry, which are already very strict, will be further improved.