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Hampshire Gazette - Audit finds state still lags on elevator inspections BOSTON - A state audit finds that a backlog of elevator inspections continues to put public safety at risk while resulting in the loss of $6.5 million in state revenues in recent years. In
a report released Thursday, State Auditor A. Joseph DeNucci said 11,419
out of 37,494 elevator inspection certificates - 30 percent - at the
state Department of Public Safety were expired. Some elevators have gone
without inspections for more than four years under an inefficient state
licensing and tracking system, the audit found. State
law requires annual elevator inspections at a fee of $400. A group of 40
state inspectors is responsible for these checks at public and privately
owned facilities across the commonwealth, including hospitals, nursing
homes, hotels, shopping malls, public schools and colleges. Owners
of nearly half the elevators with expired certificates had not reapplied
for an annual inspection, costing the state $2.1 million in revenue,
according to DeNucci. He said the state has lost another $4.3 million in
revenues when annual inspections had not been conducted for years and or
when fines were not collected. "I
understand the budget constraints all state agencies are facing during
these difficult economic times, but this has been a long-term problem
with potential public safety risk," DeNucci said in a statement
posted on his Web site. "Fortunately, there have not been any major
incidents to date, and I hope there never are. Every dollar vested in
this area will bring positive returns in terms of revenue and public
safety." The
state Department of Public Safety said it plans to overhaul its computer
database to ensure better data collection, licensing practices and
enforcement of the law. The state agency said it simply does not have
enough elevator inspectors to perform all of the necessary inspections.
State public safety officials also attributed the backlog to an
expansion of the definition of "elevator" twice in the past
five years. "The
number keeps increasing," said Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the
state Department of Public Safety, Thursday. "We have an average of
1,500 new elevators coming online every year with new construction and
renovation projects." Harris
said that of the 30 percent of elevators behind in inspections cited by
DeNucci, the majority have been inspected within the past two years. "One
thing you have to keep in mind with elevators is that they are serviced
routinely by elevator mechanics," Harris said. "We are
improving staffing as we can, but in these times fiscally, it's tough
going." The
importance of elevator inspections was highlighted in Amherst a few
years ago when an unoccupied elevator at the University of
Massachusetts' W.E.B Du Bois Library went out of control, sending a car
flying to the top of the building and its counterweights slamming into
the basement. No one was injured. Although
the elevator had received an annual state inspection only 10 days
earlier, a bracket that controls the elevator's cable snapped, releasing
the car's counterweights and ropes. During repairs, the university
pledged to add new safety features to the broken elevator and to four
others in service at the library. DeNucci's
audit was the second report in the past six years where he cited a
significant backlog in elevator inspections, expired certificates and
lost revenues. "It's a substantial amount of revenue the commonwealth is losing," said Glenn Briere, a spokesman in the state auditor's office. "As always, it's a matter of priorities." |
| Mailing Address:oseph DeNucci
P.O. Box 600252 Newton MA 02460 Office Location: 259 Walnut St Newton, MA 02460 Phone: 617.630.0600 Fax: 617.630.0625 E-Mail: HDQ@JoeDeNucci.com |
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