Report Shows Michigan Is Years Behind Elevator And Other Inspections

State officials are years behind on required inspections of some elevators, escalators and boilers, and even have waited years to do required follow-up inspections after deficiencies were found, creating “a potential safety risk to the public,” according to an audit released and reported in the Detroit Free Press. The state is required to inspect thousands of passenger and freight elevators, escalators and other such devices. Many, if not most, passenger elevators also receive private inspections, often due to liability insurance requirements. According to the source, Auditor-General Douglas Ringler’s office reviewed inspection data for 40 elevating devices and found that 78% of the 74 routine inspections required between October 2018 and May 2020 had not been performed. The audit also found that 14 of the annual inspections were one to three years overdue, three were three to five years overdue, and one was more than five years overdue. Of the 16 required follow-up inspections, 62.5% took an average of 121 days to complete, including one violation classified as “high” priority — meaning it potentially resulted in the device being sealed out of service, the report said. More than half the devices had overdue required follow-up inspections for violations rated as “medium priority,” including cables that needed repair, according to the report. In a response, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs said it has had trouble recruiting and retaining elevator inspectors and is working with the skilled trades industry and the Michigan Civil Service Commission to try to change that.