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Elevator problems heading up

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By CATHERINE DOLINSKI

cdolinski@tampatrib.com

Published: November 3, 2009

TALLAHASSEE - Exercise may not be the only reason taking the stairs is better for your health than stepping into the elevator.

A state report shows the number of uninspected elevators is on the rise and state regulators continue to discover violations missed by private inspectors.

The report, released Monday by the state Legislature's Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability, is a mixed review of elevator inspections, which state leaders voted in 2000 to farm out to contractors.

Since then, the number of inspections conducted each year has increased. Inspectors checked 60,332 elevators in fiscal year 2008-09, representing a 5.4 percent increase over the previous year.

The state also has taken steps to improve elevator safety and provide the public with information, in part, by positing a list of delinquent elevators on its Web site and creating a database of elevator accidents.

On the flip side, however, the number of elevators not receiving inspections also has increased. Last fiscal year, 5,710 went uninspected, compared with 5,203 the year before and 3,190 in 2006-07. And, while the number of accidents has dropped, the number of injuries has risen from 108 in 2007-08 to 136 in 2008-09.

Also, there remain "discrepancies" between the private inspectors' findings and those from agency personnel who perform follow-up checks. This is a declining problem, according to the analysts, who found state regulators missed violations in 8.2 percent of the elevator inspections in 2007-08, whereas there were non-cited problems found in only 3.7 percent of inspections the following year.

But in cases where there are such discrepancies, the state agency has no legal authority to compel private inspectors to explain them.

The report's authors reiterated the recommendation they made in 2008: that state lawmakers change the law so the state can make private inspectors or elevator companies respond to requests for such information.

Reporter Catherine Dolinski can be reached at (850) 222-8382.

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