French Tourism Code

Accidents and incidents occurring during the operation of a ski lift or conveyor belt are investigated in accordance with articles R. 1621-1 to R. 1621-26 of the French Transport Code. Any serious accident is immediately brought to the attention of the Prefect and the Land Transport Accident Investigation Bureau by the operator of the lift or conveyor in question. This information includes the circumstances of the accident. In addition, the…

Any amendment to the regulations governing a ski lift or a conveyor belt must be approved by the Prefect before coming into force.

The operator must ensure the safety of users, staff and third parties throughout the operation of its facilities. To this end, he must draw up a safety management system for each group of installations under the jurisdiction of the same local authority organising the ski lift service which he manages. The same safety management system may cover installations belonging to several lift operating authorities. The operational safety management system specifies…

Except where the safety management system is subject to periodic inspection under the conditions laid down in article R. 342-12-2, its guidelines and any modifications to them must be approved by the Prefect of the département in which the facility concerned is located before it begins operating or before the modification is implemented. The Prefect may temporarily authorise derogations from the guidelines of the safety management system. The procedures for…

The periodic inspection referred to in article R. 342-12-1 concerns the adequacy of the safety management system in relation to the safety issues of the operation. The operator shall have it carried out at least every two years: a) Either by an accredited inspection body, based on the relevant NF standard or an equivalent standard, which undertakes to submit its inspection report to the operator under the conditions set out…

When they choose to submit their safety management system to periodic inspection under the conditions set out in article R. 342-12-2, operators must inform the Prefect. They shall have an initial inspection carried out within a maximum of six months of this notification. Periodic inspections are compulsory for operators with more than the number of cable cars, funicular railways or rack railways set by order of the Minister for Transport….

Each inspection gives rise to a report indicating the non-conformities observed and the improvements to be made, which is sent by its author to the operator and to the Prefect within two months of the inspection. Within two months of receiving the report, the operator must inform the Prefect of the measures taken to ensure compliance with the safety objective mentioned in the first paragraph of article R. 342-12. If…

In order to check their state of operation and maintenance, ski lifts and moving walkways are subject to checks by the operator and inspections by the persons mentioned in article R. 342-14. For each type of installation, an order from the Minister for Transport specifies the procedures for these checks and inspections, as well as the procedures for informing the inspection services mentioned in article R. 342-8 beforehand. The operator…

The people who carry out the checks provided for in article R. 342-13 are independent of the owner, manufacturer and operator of the ski lift or conveyor belt.

From 1st January 2009, the persons mentioned in article R. 342-14 must first be approved by the technical service for ski lifts and guided transport. This approval is issued for a maximum of five years under the conditions set out in article R. 342-16.