The D.C. Council is considering raising the standards for elevator inspectors and doubling the frequency of inspections — rules likely to increase business for local workers while forcing property owners to dig deep into their wallets.
A bill before the council would require annual, rather than biennial, inspections of Washington’s nearly 5,000 elevators, mandate that each has a certificate of occupancy, and establish new licensing standards for inspectors and mechanics.
Ward 5 Councilman Harry Thomas said that the bill, which he co-introduced, was “just a safety measure” to bring the District more in line with surrounding jurisdictions. “For me, it’s always just trying to be proactive,” he said.
The Apartment and Office Building Association of Metropolitan Washington, however, is likely to challenge the measure.
“The initial thought is that it sounds like it may be excessive and not cost-efficient,” said W. Shaun Pharr, AOBA’s senior vice president for government affairs.
A single elevator inspection costs between $200 and $500, building managers say.
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs maintains an inventory of about 4,900 elevators, said DCRA spokesman Michael Rupert, and 95 percent are inspected by a third party every two years.
The D.C. fire department responded to 2,048 elevator incidents in fiscal 2008 and 1,923 in 2007 — roughly six per day — though it is unclear how many involved the rescue of a person, said spokesman Alan Etter.
DCRA has certified 18 third-party contractors who conduct inspections and respond to about 15 elevator-related complaints per month, Rupert said. Certified elevator inspectors are required to have a combination of work experience and code knowledge.
Thomas’ bill would significantly boost those standards, requiring passage of a DCRA-administered written examination on elevator and building codes, passage of a mechanics exam, and demonstrated evidence of work experience and education credits.
Members of the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 10 meet those standards already, said Jim Lowery, a member of the union’s executive board. Elevator incidents nationwide kill about 30 people a year and injure roughly 17,000, he said.
Last August a man was crushed to death in the elevator shaft of a downtown D.C. parking garage. The measure, Thomas said, would establish important standards and generate revenue through licensing, inspection and certificate of occupancy fees.
