A18.1 covers the design, construction, installation, operation, inspection, testing, maintenance, and repair of inclined stairway chairlifts and inclined and vertical platform lifts intended for transportation of a mobility impaired person only. The device shall have a limited vertical travel, operating speed, and platform area. Operation shall be under continuous control of the user/attendant. The device shall not penetrate more than one floor. A full passenger enclosure on the platform shall be prohibited. In 1996, as a result of the effort to harmonize the ASME A17.1 Code and the CAN/CSA-B44 Safety Code for Elevators, a new Main Committee on Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts was established. The Committee developed the first edition, which incorporates Parts XX and XXI, as well as the applicable cross-references in ASME A17.1-1996, up to and including ASME A17.1a-1997. The first edition of this Standard was approved by the ASME Committee on Platform Lifts and Stairway Lifts, was approved and designated as an ASME Standard by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on June 21, 1999.