Overview
ISO 20321:2020 - "Petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas industries - Safety of machineries - Powered elevators" specifies general safety requirements for the design, testing and production of powered elevators used in onshore and offshore petroleum, petrochemical and natural gas operations. The standard focuses on machinery safety, risk reduction and verification for powered elevators intended for drilling and production activities. It excludes other elevator types and several specific lifting products (for example: remote control devices, lifting nubbins, lifting plugs, internal gripping devices and elevator links/bails) and does not apply retroactively to elevators manufactured before publication.
Key topics and technical requirements
ISO 20321:2020 addresses technical and safety topics that are essential for safe lifting operations in hazardous industrial environments:
- General safety requirements for design, testing and production of powered elevators.
- Mechanical strength and fatigue/service-life considerations.
- Safety design: ergonomic design, fastening methods, DROPS prevention, suspension points.
- Protection against moving parts: guards, pinch-point prevention and safe gaps.
- Hazard controls: surface/edge risks, errors of fitting (size/type verification), static electricity, loss of stability and explosion prevention.
- Controls and feedback: external power source management, feedback signals, danger-zone definition.
- Operational stopping functions: start, normal stop, operational stop, emergency shutdown and failure-of-power-supply measures.
- Verification and testing: verification tests, maintenance requirements and inspection practices (including normative test annex).
- Functions for preparing a safe lift: wrapping, securing, locking and verification, including closed-ring elevator requirements.
- Documentation: instruction handbook requirements and marking of powered elevators.
- Regulatory alignment: Annex A maps the standard to the EU Machinery Directive (2006/42/EC).
Practical applications
This standard is used to:
- Guide design and manufacturing of powered elevators for oil & gas operations (onshore and offshore).
- Inform risk assessments and safety validation during procurement, inspection and commissioning.
- Define maintenance, testing and verification regimes to ensure ongoing safety and fatigue life.
- Support conformity assessment and regulatory compliance, especially where alignment with the EU Machinery Directive is required.
Who should use ISO 20321:2020
- Machine manufacturers and OEMs in the petroleum and petrochemical sectors
- Health & safety regulators, market surveillance and accident-prevention organizations
- Operators, maintenance teams and service providers working with hoisting/lifting equipment
- Procurement and engineering teams specifying lifting equipment for drilling and production
Related standards
Normative references referenced by ISO 20321:2020 include:
Using ISO 20321:2020 helps organizations improve powered elevator safety, reduce lifting-related incidents, and align equipment with international machinery safety best practices.