Elevator inspections still lacking on campus

02/11/09 - Continuing the trend of the past five years, 36 of the 64 elevators that are currently in use on the four URI campuses do not fully meet state fire and safety codes. Eighteen require fire and safety modifications. Twelve have completed full load tests, but are lacking a simple load test with lighter weights, therefore making them unable to receive a new inspection certificate. Six of the elevators are completely non-compliant.

According to a document from URI Business Services, "The university has cited the contractor's delinquency and non-conformance with the university's elevator service contract."

The six elevators that are not up to safety standards are in Butterfield, Merrow, Peck, and Roosevelt Halls, as well as the Chafee Social Science Center and 210 Flagg Road.

According to Rhode Island Law, "It is required that a copy or sign saying where the original certificate is, be in each elevator," State Chief Elevator Inspector David Hart said.

Once the inspections are completed, the company submits them directly to the office of the state elevator inspector. They then are responsible for producing an elevator's inspection certificate and sending it back to the university.

"What you see in the car will refer you to a number or contact to get the latest information about the status of the elevator," Wyman said.

Sixteen elevators' inspection certificates have been lost or are en route to the campus from the inspections office. Of the 18 that require fire and safety modifications, their inspection certificates have not been revoked, but the majority of their present certificates date as far back as the fall of 2006.

"It's a matter of us really going through our contractor with the state inspection to get the certificates up to date," Director of Public Safety Robert Drapeau said.

The URI Public Safety office took over the responsibility of overseeing elevator inspections from Safety and Risk Management this fall. "Right now there has been separate files of certificates, fire improvements, building files," Drapeau said, adding that the department is trying to compile and organize the files to make them accessible.

Rhode Island law also states inspections on each elevator must be completed annually. All inspection stickers are valid until revoked, which none have been.

Drapeau discussed elevator safety inspections with Otis Elevator Company, the school's vendor, on Friday. In an e-mail from an Otis Elevator Co. representative, the company made a commitment stating, "All of the elevators [will be] inspected and up to date by the week of March 23, 2009."

Drapeau said the six elevators that are non-compliant and the 12 that need another half-test should be compliant by March 31.

According to a document from URI Business Services, "The university has cited the contractor's delinquency and non-conformance with the university's elevator service contract."

Assistant Vice President of Business Services Vernon J. Wyman said the company has the contract for the work and they know they need to do the annual inspections.

In order to solve the issue, Wyman said the university is "going to be using our facility center work order tracking system to give [Otis Elevator Co.] a heads up notice other than just maintenance and service work to alert them in advance when the next inspection is due."

Public safety will also be holding quarterly meetings with the company to go over any inspections, maintenance or tests that need to be run on all of the elevators prior to their expiration, Wyman and Drapeau said.

"Trusting them didn't seem to get us the activity we should have got," Drapeau said.

Nearly five years ago, the Cigar reported the university could not prove that Delta Elevator Co. (the elevator vendor at the time) had finished inspections on 17 elevators. Administrators promised to resolve the issue.

Two years later, the Cigar ran another article in October 2006 stating 24 of 55 elevators were not inspected by Delta, although maintenance was continued on the elevators.

Inspections and maintenance of the elevators on the four campuses are now performed mostly by Otis Elevator Co., which bought out the previous vendor in 2007.

After March 31, the office of Public Safety will be responsible for holding all of the certificates of inspections, and in each elevator there will be a sign posted with a number or directions of contacting public safety if one wished to view the certificates.

Wyman stated the university is always trying to improve its ability to stay up on all of the elevators under their jurisdiction, but also said keeping up can be difficult.

"It's not a difficult system if you're like running a hotel, that's four elevators, but [64 elevators]," Drapeau said.

Since the 2006-2007 school year, the university has spent approximately $317,000 on repair, renovation and fire safety upgrades on 31 elevators, according to Wyman.

"I am confident we have a handle on it now," Drapeau said.