Vehicle Lifts Must Pass Tougher Testing to Earn ALI Gold Label

CORTLAND, N.Y. — It’s now a little more challenging for a vehicle lift to earn an Automotive Lift Institute (ALI) gold certification label, ALI announced on Monday.

ANSI/ALI ALCTV is the safety standard that covers vehicle lift design, construction, testing, and validation. The current edition, ANSI/ALI ALCTV: 2017, took effect on July 24, 2018, replacing its predecessor, ANSI/ALI ALCTV: 2011. ALI said that while the major design and construction requirements of the standard remain intact, significant updates were made to strengthen the testing that must be performed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory to confirm that a lift meets the requirements.

Changes include expanding the testing requirements for load-holding devices (also known as “latches” or “locks”) and increasing the number of test cycles.

The International Building Code and a number of state, provincial, and local regulations mandate that only lifts certified to meet ANSI/ALI ALCTV can be installed. These certified lifts wear the ALI Gold Label and are listed in ALI’s online directory of certified lifts. All lifts that are certified to meet the current edition of the standard are listed.

“ALI and our members take our lift safety mission very seriously,” said Dale Soos, ALI senior project engineer. “Since introducing the ALI Lift Certification Program in 1993, the committee responsible for the standard has continuously improved it to promote technician safety on the job and wherever a vehicle lift is used.”

In addition to the testing requirement changes, ANSI/ALI ALCTV: 2017 explains the difference between lift accessories and lift attachments and clarifies which aspects of the standard apply to each. The current edition also includes a new section of requirements for wireless controls.

Facilities with lifts that were certified to the prior edition of the standard do not need to take any action as a result of the update. However, ALI said that when shopping for a new lift, it should not be assumed that a previously certified model is certified to the current edition of the standard. Any lift model that was certified to the 2011 edition of the standard had to be tested to verify that it met all the new requirements in order to be recertified.

To confirm that a lift is certified to the current standard, go to ALI’s online directory of certified lifts or look for the new ALI Gold Label with ANSI/ALI ALCTV: 2017 noted near the top.

Copies of the ANSI/ALI ALCTV: 2017 “Safety Requirements for Construction, Testing, and Validation” standard can be ordered from ALI at www.autolift.org/ali-store.

In other vehicle lift news, Stertil-Koni announced that during the fifth annual National Lift Week, Oct. 8 to 13, the company will cover one-third of the purchase price of the ALI safety tips poster two-pack, applied to the first 80 orders beginning Oct. 8. The limit is one order per customer, five per company. The safety tips poster two-pack is available via the ALI store link above.