Elevator inspections are part of your building routines. Depending on the state, inspections can be multiple times a year. How should you prepare for these inspections? What is your responsibility versus your elevator maintenance companies responsibility?
What is an elevator inspection?
Elevator inspections are required by most state laws. A state inspector or third party agent will inspect the elevator on an annual or bi-annual basis. Typically, they will perform a pressure test on hydraulic elevator or a no load/full load test on your traction elevator.
They are also checking for various failures. If you fail you will have a period of time for you (or your elevator company) to correct any deficiencies. If you do not correct these or ask for an extension your elevators could be shut down by the state.
Elevator inspection failures
Typically, elevator inspectors can fail your elevator for any number of reasons. Besides failing a pressure test or no load/full load test, most inspectors will go after the visible items. Your doors could be in terrible condition, but if they don’t present a safety issue, the inspector will not write them up.
Typical failures are no phone connection inside the elevator to an outside monitoring company, alarm bell not functioning, fire testing log up to date, and elevator certificates not located on premises. These are all preventable, and mostly under the buildings control.
How to prepare for your elevator inspections
There are a few things any building can do to ensure they don’t fail an inspection.
Elevator Fire Testing Log
Make sure that your fire testing log is being tracked, up to date and in the machine room for the inspector to view. 95% of the time this is not the responsibility of the elevator maintenance company. If you are not sure how to do the fire testing, let your elevator company know and they can help you out.
Check your elevators phone connection and alarm bells
It is good practice for building owners to consistently check that the emergency phone is connected to an outside operating system. If you know an elevator inspection is coming up, check the phones and alarm bells. If either are not working, let your elevator maintenance company know. This could be a serious safety issue in case of elevator entrapments.
Elevator certificates located on the premise
Typically, a buildings elevator certificates need to be located in the elevator, or at least on the building premises. These are often easy to lose, so make sure their is a consistent place you store them (if not in the elevator). You do not want to lose these and have to wait for your local jurisdiction to mail you new certificates.
The day of the elevator inspection
On the actual day of the inspection, your elevator company will need to be present (depending on the jurisdiction). If you have a good relationship with them, you can have them correct minor deficiencies on the spot and pass your inspection. For example if an alarm bell is not working, they could fix it on the spot if they come prepared.
If you fail the inspection you will need to make sure to send a copy of the violation report to your elevator maintenance company. Make sure to get a quick response with what is your responsibility, like maintaining the fire log, versus their responsibility. You don’t want to wait until the last minute to fix all the violations on the report.
If you are having any trouble with your inspections or maintenance company, please feel free to fill out the form below.