Lift capacity signs across Europe are in need of an overhaul and are unsuitable for a global population with a worsening obesity problem, research shows.
Designs for elevators in hotels and high rise buildings around the world are often centred on the average weight of people in the 20th century.
With the global population held in the grip of an obesity pandemic, and about 3 billion people now thought to be overweight or obese, recommended lift capacity signs are due for an overhaul, an expert said at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul.
Lift manufacturers must display maximum weight allowance and the maximum number of passengers lifts can accommodate.
Industry standards define passenger capacity by dividing the maximum load of a lift by the average weight of a passenger.
But while European standards suggest the average weight of a person is about 75kg, it is considerable heavier today.
In the UK, the average man weighed 75kg in the 1970s, and a woman was about 65kg. Today both sexes are about 10kg heavier, placing strain on the lift shafts of Europe.
Speaking at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul, Professor Nick Finer, president of the International Prader Willi Syndrome Organisation, a global health advisory, said outdated capacity guidance could compromise safety.
“The failure of lift manufacturers to adapt to rising levels of obesity and body size means that lift capacities are overestimated, so journey times are likely to be increased and safety could be compromised,” Prof Finer said.
“What’s more, suggesting more people can fit in a lift than is comfortable is stigmatising people living with obesity.
“Recent recommendations to size lifts to fit modern users based on two-dimensional (2D), or floor space area should give passengers more personal space and comfort, but they are not linked to secular trends in obesity or size or body shape, and an urgent rethink is needed.”
A sample of data was collected from 112 lifts across the UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria and Finland.
It assessed lifts manufactured by 21 companies between 1970 and 2024.
For each lift, information on the year of manufacture, maximum weight allowance and maximum number of passengers was obtained from the displayed safety signs.
Weighty problem
Analysis found that average lift passenger weight allowance increased significantly between 1972 and 2002, ranging from 55kg to 91.7kg.
It was also strongly correlated with the increasing average population weight, suggesting manufacturers were responsive to the growing prevalence of obesity and adjusted safety guidance accordingly.
The UAE has stringent rules on lift capacity, and safety regulations.
Equipment capable of lifting more than 100kg must be inspected every six to 12 months, with those exceeding 1,000kg inspected every three to six months.
Elevators must clearly indicate their maximum passenger or weight capacity, with standard passenger elevators in the UAE typically having capacities of 630kg, 800kg, 1000kg or 1250kg.
In Europe, the 1990's individual lift weight allowances increased to about 80kg against population averages of 76kg.
But since 2002, however, there were no significant increase in the assumed average weight of lift users, despite an average population weight of 79kg.
Prof Finer, an obesity specialist and former clinical professor of medicine at UCL, London said lift manufacturers probably switched calculations of lift capacities to assumed floor space requirements based on a standard 2D elliptical shape.
“The switch from weight to floor space area has not kept pace with secular trends in obesity or body shape, even though excellent data on the increase in average waist circumference, and 2D shape size, exist,” he said.
