Forty-five separate changes to the American National Standard Safety Requirements for Aerial Passenger Tramways (B77.1-1970) were approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on January 25, 1973. The changes were recommended by the B77.1 Committee to ANSI and represent two and one-half years of work on the Committee’s part. After the original B77.1 Standard was adopted in 1960, only a few revisions occurred until 1970 when a complete general revision was adopted. The present revision will incorporate the 45 new changes and will be re-published as B77.1-1973.
The Standard, as published by ANSI, does not become “law” for ski areas, lift manufacturers, etc., until it is adopted by specific authorities. Each state, governmental agency, or insurance program that uses the B77.1 Standard must take specific action to adopt the newly revised Standard.
The outstanding changes that the Standard has incorporated are as follows (Index number refers to the specific Standard section affected):
2.1.9.6 Grounding. Specific requirements are made for the grounding of structures. The basic requirement will be the use of a ⅝” diameter copper coated steel grounding rod eight feet long that is connected to the structure with a No. 4 copper wire. The haul rope of the lift must be grounded at all terminals and stations.
2.1.9.7 Night Lighting. This section has undergone a complete revision based largely on the special study group initiated at the NSAA mid-winter meeting of 1972 at Bogus Basin Specific foot-candle requirements have been dropped, and no reference to the lighting of slopes and trails is included.
2.1.10.1 Fuel Storage. Fuel tanks for auxiliary engines will not be permitted in weathertight buildings.
2.1.12 Signs. The familiar “If Not Familiar with Use of Lift, Ask for Instructions” sign will no longer be required. The effectiveness and practicability of this sign has long been questioned, and has been eliminated from the requirements of some states for several years now.
2.1.15 and 3.1.1 Personnel Safety. These are new sections and attempt to reduce the potential danger to personnel working on lifts. Accidents involving people having been caught in bull wheels lead to the insertion of these sections.
2.2.5.2.4 Backstop Brake. The use of a single brake to serve both as an emergency brake and a backstop has been rescinded. Difficulties in assuring equivalent reliability of a single brake with two operating systems resulted in the elimination of such an arrangement.
2.2.7.2.2 and 3.3.2.1.2 Wire Rope Tows. Provisions must be incorporated into these tows to allow for adjustment to terminal sheaves to control the rotation of the haul rope and towing devices, and operators shall keep tows in adjustment.
2.2.11.4.2 Safety Gates. Surface lifts will now be required to have devices installed that will stop the lift in the event a towing outfit fails to retract at the upper terminal. If the existing safety gate is operated by an unretracted towing outfit, this requirement is met without the need for other devices.
3.2.2.3.1 and 3.2.2.4 Attendants. The maximum length of a surface lift or tow that can be operated with a single operator has been extended to 800 feet subject to specific conditions specified.
3.4.2 Wire Rope Inspection. The former requirement of an annual inspection of the wire ropes by a special inspector has been deleted. Such an inspection will not be required following any accident affecting the possible integrity of the rope or upon request of the general inspector. Annual general inspections are still required.
4.2.1.4 and 4.2.1.5 Counterweight Ropes. Individual wire tensile and torsion tests will no longer be required. A breaking test is still a requirement, however.
Other changes to the Standard include technical requirements affecting lift designs and minor changes of a typographical or improved wording nature. Copies of the revised Standard are available from the American National Standards Institute, Inc., 1430 Broadway, New York, New York 10018 at a cost of $6.00 each.
