Emphasizing awareness of the safety issues involved when working under cars while they are up on the rack, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) has ramped-up the content of its website at www.autolift.org to provide heightened levels of information about proper on-the-job procedures, equipment performance and vendor certification standards.
“Our new website was built from scratch to further that mission,” he notes. “By redesigning the site to be more modern and user-friendly, we have made it as easy as possible for anyone with an interest in vehicle lifts to find the information they need to make smart choices.”
The site’s new Directory of Certified Lifts can be browsed by lift type or searched by lift type, manufacturer, brand, model number and/or load rating. Each listing includes the lift’s specifications, certification date and manufacturer’s contact information. For lifts with certified accessories, the accessories are defined in the listing, including model number, description and rated capacity if applicable. Listings may also include notes and a photograph of the lift.
“Because lift testing and certification is generally voluntary for manufacturers, lift customers must take charge of their own safety by buying only lifts that have been third-party tested and ALI certified,” says O’Gorman, who recently addressed a series of questions about the segment:
Q: What is ALI’s role within the industry?
A: Founded in 1945, the Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) is a trade association of North American-based lift manufacturers. ALI’s mission is to promote the safe design, construction, installation, service, inspection and use of automotive lifts. In 1947, ALI developed the first Commercial Standard covering vehicle lifts published by the National Bureau of Standards.
Today, ALI is recognized by the International Accreditation Forum and is an American National Standards Institute accredited standards developer sponsoring several national lift safety standards and offering third-party certification programs for automotive lifts and automotive lift inspectors.
Q: Do you offer lift safety training?
A: ALI offers a number of lift safety reminders and educational publications, as well as the new interactive, online Lifting It Right vehicle lift safety training course. The course, which is hosted by racing legends Richard and Kyle Petty, covers the wide variety of lift types used in professional vehicle service and repair facilities, the lifting and lowering process and the importance of planned lift maintenance performed by a qualified professional. Users learn which lifts work best for certain jobs, as well as best practices for spotting a vehicle, selecting adapters and working under the vehicle.
Real-world scenarios with corresponding questions are presented throughout the course to engage participants. Upon completion, a certificate is generated and stored online. This makes it easy for facility managers to keep staff training records organized.
Q: What standards apply to automotive lifts, and what standards apply to truck lifts?
A: The term “automotive lift” is applied equally to those lifts used to raise any vehicle, including cars, trucks, vans, buses, etc.
The only standard governing the design and construction of automotive lifts in North America is ANSI/ALI ALCTV (current edition), American National Standard for Automotive Lifts – Safety Requirements for Construction, Testing and Validation. This standard requires that lifts be third-party tested and validated. The ALI Lift Certification program partners with an OSHA-accredited, Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) for each lift evaluation. Lift models that have been tested and proven to meet the standard bear the gold ALI Certification Label. Lifts that do not bear a certification label are not certified and are not likely to comply with the requirements of the local code authority having jurisdiction or new construction “pre-start” audit requirements.
Two additional safety standards of importance to the automotive lift industry include ANSI/ALI ALOIM (current edition), Safety Requirements for the Operation, Inspection, and Maintenance of Automotive Lifts and ANSI/ALI ALIS (current edition), Safety Requirements for the Installation and Service of Automotive Lifts.
Q: What does lift certification entail?
A: In order for a lift to earn a gold ALI certification label, its design must be tested and continuously inspected by one of three NRTLs authorized by ALI to conduct testing on its behalf. These three NRTLs (Intertek, TUV Peabody and MET Laboratories) test the lift’s electrical and mechanical systems in accordance with the ANSI/ALI ALCTV (current edition) safety and performance standard. At the same time, the electrical system is evaluated and listed in accordance with ANSI/UL201, Standard for Safety of Garage Equipment.
During the certification process, certification program participants must prove its designers and welders are qualified and its manufacturing procedures can be repeated consistently. A quality program must be in place in order to ensure each lift is made the same way.
While it is never safe to load a vehicle lift beyond its rated capacity, all ALI certified lifts are required to have ultimate material strengths at least equal to three times – with some components requiring five times the stress they will be subjected to under normal rated use.
After a lift’s design has been certified, NRTL inspectors perform periodic factory audits to make sure program procedures are being followed. Should a change to the lift model be desired, the participant is required to submit proposed modifications for approval prior to implementation.
Q: Are CE claims a valid alternative to ALI certification?
A: The letters “CE” are the abbreviation of the French phrase Conformité Européene, which literally means “European Conformity.” The CE mark on a product or machine identifies it as complying with all the of safety requirements established by the European Union. In Europe, the CE mark is a requirement and not a voluntary process; however, some countries in Europe require that their own mark is used and their standards are met.
One of the most notable differences between CE and ALI certification is in the area of electrical safety. ANSI/ALI ALCTV, the North American automotive lift standard, mandates testing to ANSI/UL 201, Standard for Safety for Garage Equipment, which is harmonized with the National Electric Code (NEC). CE electrical requirements are different and in no way ensure compliance with the NEC.
An important consideration relating to CE approval of lifts installed in North America is that American and Canadian electrical officials do not accept CE marking as evidence of compliance with required safety standards. Claims that “Lifts are CE approved” bear no relevance to North American lift purchasers. The CE lift standard, EN 1493 is not tougher than ANSI/ALI ALCTV, as some might claim when unable to offer lift models that are ALI certified.
Become an educated buyer – consider the risk of installing a vehicle lift bearing only a CE mark and the possibility that your shop will be “red tagged” for lifts not listed to North American safety standards.
Q: Is ISO 9000 Certification a valid alternative to ALI certification?
A: Claims that lifts are built to the ISO 9000 standards, or other claims invoking ISO (International Standards Organization), can be misleading. ISO 9000 standards describe an excellent quality control program; however, ISO compliance does not mean that the lift in question is designed in accordance with ANSI/ALI ALCTV, or that the product is independently certified to meet that standard.
Q: How can I determine if a lift is ALI Certified?
A: The gold ALI certification label is applied to all vehicle lifts that have been third-party tested and certified to meet the ANSI/ALI ALCTV standard. For a complete, searchable directory of every certified lift and any certified accessories that go with it, visit the ALI Directory of Certified Lifts at http://www.autolift.org/ali-directory-of-certified-lifts/. The directory is updated regularly as manufacturer participation changes, different types of lifts are tested and certified, and models of certified lifts are added or deleted. If a lift is not listed in the directory, it is not certified. There is no such thing as “pending certification.” A lift is either certified or it’s not.
Q: Can an existing lift be certified?
A: No. Once a lift is installed, it cannot be certified.
In all industry certification programs sponsored by accredited certification organizations, product certification is only granted to the participant who owns the rights to the product (i.e. the manufacturer).
Since items such as material composition, welder qualifications, and other critical elements affecting product performance and user safety cannot be validated, an automotive lift produced outside of the certification body’s supervision cannot be certified. Therefore, a lift that has left the control of the authorized production facility without achieving certification shall not be labeled in a manner that demonstrates certification by the participant, the distributor, the installer, or their representatives.
Q: What about replacement parts? Will an existing lift lose its status?
A: ALI’s position is clearly set forth in the governing American National Standard, ANSI/ALI ALOIM, which states at Section 8: “Replace worn, damaged or broken parts with parts approved by the original equipment manufacturer or with parts meeting the original equipment manufacturer specifications.” This identical language also appears in ANSI/ALI ALIS at Section 6.2.6 and ANSI/ALI ALCTV at Section 11.1.6.
ALI does not evaluate OEM parts vs. “equal or better” parts. The decision on how to proceed when OEM parts are unavailable due to the lift manufacturer being out of business or for other reasons, any judgments on part quality and the decision on how to bring a lift into compliance is left entirely up to the business entity qualified and willing to make such a judgment: be it the inspection company, the service provider, the manufacturer or an independent third party.
If a lift manufacturer wishes to dictate the source, adequacy, quality, or affectivity of replacement parts, that is a matter between the lift manufacturer and those wishing to provide substitute parts. ALI provides information to candidate lift inspectors in an attempt to equip them with the knowledge, skill, ability and experience to inspect installed automotive lifts. Service providers may decide to make parts evaluations or decline to make parts evaluations. This decision is left to the service provider.
There is no practical way for a manufacturer or the certification body to supervise substitute part conformity and/or the withdrawal of certification in the field. If there is a product failure due to the use of non-OEM parts, then the burden will fall to whoever substituted the non-OEM parts on the certified lift to demonstrate that the parts met the specifications required.
Q: Should an existing lift be inspected?
A: Yes, an automotive lift should be inspected at least annually, more frequently when required by the manufacturer or the authority having jurisdiction (i.e. corporate health and safety, regional auto dealer associations, insurance providers, or workers’ compensation trusts).
The national standard addressing automotive lift inspection is ANSI/ALI ALOIM (current edition), Safety Requirements for the Operation, Inspection, and Maintenance of Automotive Lifts. This national consensus standard provides guidance to the owner, employer, and lift service and inspection provider(s) about the required qualifications, training, reporting, and documentation for lift operators, inspectors, and maintenance personnel.
The ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program was created to provide third-party qualification of vehicle lift inspectors and to certify those who demonstrate that they are capable of properly inspecting any type of lift from any manufacturer in accordance with the ANSI standard governing vehicle lift inspection and in support of OSHA’s General Duty Clause, as well as provincial requirements in Canada.
Q: Why should I hire an ALI Certified Lift Inspector?
A: ANSI standards mandate that a “qualified lift inspector” inspect all vehicle lifts at least annually. Many companies will tell you that their inspectors are qualified to perform these inspections. But the only independent verification of lift inspector qualification in North America is the ALI Lift Inspector Certification Program.
ALI Certified Lift Inspectors have been tested and certified by ALI to be qualified to inspect any vehicle lift, regardless of manufacturer, brand, model, type, age or location. They have passed two rigorous exams covering electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic principles, as well as basic automotive lift design and use. They have properly completed 12 practical experience inspections using ALI-approved inspection procedures and forms. They follow industry standard lift inspection processes and use standardized lift inspection documentation to ensure that every lift receives a thorough inspection.
Only ALI Certified Lift Inspectors are authorized to apply serialized ALI Certified Lift Inspection Program labels to every lift they inspect. These labels provide code enforcement officials with instant proof of the last time a lift was professionally inspected. Each label includes the year of inspection and the individual inspector’s unique ID number.
Q: What factors should be considered when purchasing a lift from overseas?
A: The simplest thing lift buyers can do to protect themselves and their workers is to buy only ALI-certified lifts. Regardless of where they’re manufactured, ALI-certified lifts have been third-party tested and certified to meet the ANSI safety and performance standard.
ALI does not limit certification to lifts made in North America. However, it does require that all authorized production facilities be represented by a legitimate Certification Program Participant with an organizational presence in North America.
In today’s global marketplace, evidence involving the proliferation of questionable and unsafe products across most industries can be seen by visiting the websites of the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
Within the automotive lift industry, this trend first became visible in the last decade, as manufacturers located in developing countries and lift importers not familiar with the relevant electrical and mechanical standards became interested in the North American market. This continues today; therefore, the lift buyer/specifier must become educated regarding the importance of purchasing a third-party certified lift.
In today’s society of disposable products, many components may be subject to wear and may need to be replaced or serviced. The lift buyer/specifier should consider this point as it relates to potential “down time” contributed to replacement component delays, planned maintenance and other support that may be required.
Q: Do high reach fixed stands and other accessories need to be certified?
A: If separate accessories are furnished for use with a lift conforming to ANSI/ALI ALCTV (current edition), the separate accessory shall conform to the relevant national standards and shall be certified as such. Placement of unrecognized accessories into a certified lift configuration invalidates the lift’s certification as long as the certified lift configuration remains altered.
The ALI Lift Certification Program requires each participant to submit all accessories for evaluation. Approved accessories are required to be listed for use by model number on ALI’s Directory of Certified Products. Accessories not found on the directory are not approved for use.
Perhaps the most common example of a configuration-altering accessory would be a wheels-free-device (rolling jacks) or high reach fixed stands. Wheels-free-devices must be certified as an accessory to the lift model. For the safety of the technician and others in the immediate area, high reach fixed stands, when used in support of a certified automotive lift, must be certified in accordance with ANSI/ASME PALD or ANSI/ASME PASE, the safety standard covering portable automotive safety equipment (ASME PASE has replaced ASME PALD).
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