General explanation of SMS contractors, examiners and periodic inspection bodies
Approved contractors
Approved contractors are involved in the construction or substantial modification of ropeway installations and conveyor belts. In particular, they are required to ensure that installations or equipment are set up in compliance with technical and safety regulations. All their responsibilities are detailed in the French Tourism Code for ropeway installations and conveyor belts.
They must be independent of the project owner, the builder(s) and the operator.
They are approved by the Minister for Transport, on the opinion of the Technical service in charge of safety for ropeways and guided transports (STRMTG), for up to five years.
Approved examiners carry out checks on the operating and maintenance status of ropeway installations and conveyor belts. They must be independent of the owner, manufacturer and operator of the ropeway installation or conveyor belt. All their responsibilities are detailed in the French Tourism Code for ropeway installations and conveyor belts.
Annuel inspection technicians carry out annual tests on brakes in various operating scenarios and safety devices on aerial ropeways, funicular railways and cog railways. Cable inspectors carry out multi-year cable inspections. Independent technical inspectors check the design of certain ropeway installation and conveyor belt components.
They are approved by the Minister for Transport, on the opinion of the Technical service in charge of safety for ropeways and guided transports, for up to five years.
2020 - RM Métabief
Approved SMS inspection bodies
SMS periodic inspectors, or Safety Management System (SMS) inspection bodies and examiners) carry out the periodic inspection of the SMS, for operators who have chosen to have periodic inspections carried out on their SMS.
The procedure for certifying SMS periodic inspectors has been in force since 1 April 2016, with the content of the certification file specified on 12 April 2016.