Florida reports increase in uninspected elevators

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

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

The report, released this morning by the state Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability, is a mixed review of elevator inspections, which state leaders voted in 2000 to farm out to private 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 has also taken steps to improve elevator safety and provide the public with more 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 has also 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 injuries in 2007-08 to 136 in 2008-09.

As well, 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 that state regulators missed violations in 8.2 percent of elevator inspections in 2007-08, whereas there were uncited 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.

Elevator problems in Florida

Here are the top five cited safety violations for elevators in fiscal year 2008-09, according to the Office of Program Policy Analysis & Government Accountability:

• Missing certificate of operation (6,256)

• Nonfunctional emergency alarm (2,232)

• Faulty door restrictors (1,762)

• Missing signage (1,465)

• No telephone or nonfunctional telephone (1,308).