Due to an inordinate amount of inquiries into the requirements of A17.3 in Florida, we are posting the relative bulletins from the Bureau of Elevator Safety that led to this formal adoption.

The first:
Bulletin 2006-01. This bulletin left everyone wondering whether or not the State had officially adopted A17.3 and subsequently divided all independent elevator inspectors into two camps. The first camp reading the bulletin as merely a “suggestion” to adopt A17.3 and it’s code requirements. The second camp reading the bulletin as a “green light” to enforce A17.3 and it’s code requirements. The ensuing inspections were, suffice it to say, anything but consistent on a county-wide basis.

The second:
Bulletin 2007-04. This bulletin outright declares A17.3 as the adopted code by the State of Florida and addresses the requirements of telephone/handsets in elevators (as vague as it is). This bulletin, along with a series of formal and informal meetings, put an end to the question of whether or not A17.3 was an enforceable code requirement for existing elevators.

In short, it certainly is. It was also shortly after this bulletin was released that the Bureau of Elevator Safety employed several additional State Monitors to ensure these codes were being enforced.

And they are.

For more information on this subject, stay tuned to this website (bookmark it if you like), and we’ll discuss, in detail, the requirements of this code and what it means to existing elevators in Palm Beach County. Additionally, you can also contact the Bureau of Elevator Safety Directly and they’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. Their contact information is as follows:

Department of Business and Professional Regulation
1940 North Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1027

Customer Contact Center: 850.487.1395

As of November 2007, the State of Florida formally adopted ANSI A17.3 1996 edition for all existing elevators. What does this mean for elevator owners in the State? ALOT.

Some of the requirements of A17.3 1996 include:

• Door restrictors (zone locking devices)
• 2-way communication (telephones)
• Fire Service Operations (for buildings 25ft or higher)
• Emergency lighting

Many of the existing elevators throughout the State (where third party elevator inspections are required) are without the equipment listed above, and the amount of money needed to install some of these components is excessive - especially in condominiums wherein the tenant population is on a fixed income.

Take for example the Fire Service Requirement. If a building is 4 stories, more than likely it is over 25 feet high (above the main egress landing). Installing Fire Service operations is no easy task. More often than not, the existing controller is not equipped to incorporate Fire Service operations, so a new controller would need to be purchased and installed that includes that feature.

This is just the beginning of the nightmare.

Once a controller is needed, a permit needs to be pulled to cover the modernization. Once a permit is pulled, the code requirement for the elevators suddenly becomes more stringent. Now your elevator buttons are required to meet ADA requirements (42″ high at the centerline), and smoke detectors need to be installed in the elevator machine room and quite possibly at every landing in the building. Now you have to hire a fire alarm company to install the necessary sensors and relays on top of an elevator company to install the new controller.

Let’s assume your elevator mainline disconnect is not up to the new standards as well. Now you need to hire an electrician to change that component out as well as upgrade the lighting in the machine room and quite possibly the breaker that controls the elevator cab lights.

MAKE IT STOP!!!

We can stop the hemorrhaging of money right about now if you like, because we’re not entirely done with all the requirements necessary to comply with this new code requirement if your building is cited for the aforementioned violation on a State inspection.

We can, however, help you through this.

If your building was cited for an A17.3 violation, contact Alliance Elevator Consultants immediately before the myriad of proposals start pouring in from your elevator service company. We can negotiate the prices on your behalf, seek alternate proposals based on what you ACTUALLY need, and we can make the process of complying with this code significantly less stressful. We do of course require a fee to provide this service, but I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how economical this decision can be with a consultant as opposed to how outlandishly expensive it can be without one.

As always, you can contact us at any time, free of charge, and we’ll be happy to discuss your options.

Oh how completely one-sided these things can be.

As is the case with most major conglomerates, contracts are often littered with “fine print” that most people are not interested in reading. A charming salesman or saleswoman can “review” this fine print with you, but you can be assured you’re only hearing what you want to hear. Take for example the following excerpts as taken from actual maintenance agreements that are offered to elevator owners:

1. You agree not to permit others to make alterations, additions, adjustments or repairs or replace any component or part of the equipment during the term of this agreement. You agree to accept our judgment as to the means and methods to be employed for any corrective work under this agreement….

What that means to you… You must accept your elevator company’s prices for repairs and alterations no matter how excessive they are, or may seem. If you circumvent this portion of the contract and secure the services of another elevator company to make alterations (at a cheaper price), your existing service company will never work on the altered or replaced component; and if they do, you’ll pay a high premium.

2. You hereby waive trial by jury….

What’s that now? You agree to waive your constitutional right? Where do I sign??

3. This agreement is effective for five (5) years and is non-cancelable. This agreement will be automatically renewed for successive five year periods, unless you serve written notice 90 days before the end of the initial, or any subsequent five year period.

Non-cancelable? No matter how egregiously substandard the quality of service you receive is, you’re stuck with it unless you buy out of the contract (in full). Now that’s a bargain. And if you miss your chance to opt out of the agreement (within 90 days before it expires), you’re on the hook for another 5 years! I challenge you to guess how many times a customer is warned that their deadline is approaching.

As these are only a few of the considerations of a typical service maintenance agreement, you are urged to diligently review your contract or have it looked over by your legal counsel before committing to anything. You may also fax a copy of your agreement to our office (561-795-9735) and we’ll be happy to make any necessary changes (to your benefit) and send it back for your review.

We offer this service free of charge as well, so what do you have to lose?

Usually is, isn’t it?

Keep that in mind if by chance you receive an addendum to your existing elevator maintenance agreement wherein the service company offers to provide AND pay for the services of an independent elevator inspector. Chances are, the elevator inspector in question has an arrangement with the service company to perform safety inspections and test witnessing on ALL of the elevators the company has under contract.

Now I ask you, if YOU were the inspector hired by the service company to perform a bulk of inspections and were receving compensation by the same company….

How many violations would you cite against the service company on your inspection reports?

Conversely, how many would you write against the building?

Be very careful when considering these options. According to Florida law, the building owner is responsible for the safety of their own elevator. Consider this when you decide to hand over the inspections to your service company. If something (heaven forbid) should happen and there was an accident; you’re still liable. Even if the inspector did a lackluster job of evaluating your elevator equipment, the onus still falls on the elevator owner.

When presented with an option like this, the best thing you can do is decline it and continue to contract your own independent elevator inspector. It may cost you a little more, but you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your elevators are being thoroughly inspected. If you’re not sure which elevator inspector to hire, or need a little more information on this subject, drop us a line and we’ll point you in the right direction.

Alliance Elevator Consultants has a short list of it’s own, and we can put you in touch with an elevator inspector in your area that has a proven track record; and best of all, no ties to any companies.

There’s a disturbing trend in the elevator industry that, for the most part, is going unnoticed and apparently, unchecked.

In light of the increasing number of elevator inspection violations showing up during State mandated elevator inspections as of late, certain elevator companies have decided to take a proactive approach to solving this problem. According to provisions in the majority of recent elevator maintenance contracts, they (elevator service companies) plan on hiring their own “in house” elevator inspectors to witness State mandated elevator safety tests, and perform routine safety inspections. This practice is akin to the cook at your local diner hiring his own health inspector, or the contractor who just put a $15,000 roof on your house hiring his own roofing inspector. The benefits are enormous – for the contractor or cook, of course.

During the 2002 Session, The State of Florida adopted changes to Senate bill 399.061 which significantly affected the method of all elevator inspections. These changes became effective June 5, 2002 and require all elevator inspections to be performed by a certified elevator inspector annually. Florida Statutes Chapter 399.061(1)(a) (“Elevator Safety Act”) states, All elevators or other conveyances subject to this chapter must be annually inspected by a certified elevator inspector or by a municipality or county under contract with the division pursuant to s.399.13. What the bill does NOT say is, All elevators or other conveyances subject to this chapter must be annually inspected by the elevator service company’s preferred elevator inspector.

With elevator maintenance companies becoming more and more focused on “the bottom line”, elevator owners are now left holding the bag. Maintenance on elevators is becoming more sporadic as a result of route mechanics being inundated with service calls on equipment they seldom get to visit. The long of the short of it is, mechanics have more “units” on their routes than they are physically able to visit in any given month. As a result of having more units than they are capable of visiting, maintenance suffers. As a result of infrequent maintenance, mechanics are getting more and more service calls DUE to lack of maintenance. As a result of an increasing amount of service calls, mechanics are physically unable to perform routine maintenance.

This is a never-ending circle that negatively effects the building owners and the riding public as a whole. Safety should never be compromised in the pursuit of profits, but unfortunately, this is exactly what is happening.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 68 elevator-related deaths from 1992-2003 among people using elevators while at work, an average of six passenger deaths per year. These included supervisors/managers, clerks/stock handlers, janitors/cleaners and their supervisors, plus a wide variety of other occupations. Almost all the fall deaths involved falls into elevator shafts, including 18 deaths where an elevator door opened and there was no elevator car. The “caught in/between” and “struck by” deaths often involved getting caught in the elevator door or between the elevator and door or shaft.

Information on passenger injuries and deaths is reported through the CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. During the nearly 10 years covered, the CPSC reported 56 non-work related deaths of elevator passengers – about six per year – in 21 states and the District of Columbia: California (2 deaths), District of Columbia (5), Florida (4), Illinois (3), Indiana (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (1), Michigan (3), Minnesota (3), Missouri (1), North Carolina (2), New Jersey (4), New York (12), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (4), Rhode Island (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (1), Texas (2), Virginia (1), West Virginia (1), and Wisconsin (1). Thirteen of the deaths involved children age 10 or younger.

During this same period, the CPSC reported 24 non-work related deaths of escalator passengers in 12 states and the District of Columbia – about two per year. The states were Alabama (1 death), California (2), District of Columbia (3), Florida (1), Illinois (3), Maryland (1), Minnesota (3), Nevada (1), New York (3), Ohio (1), Virginia (1), Washington (2), and Wisconsin (2). The eight “caught in/between” deaths usually resulted after clothing became trapped at the bottom or top of an escalator or between a stair and escalator sidewall; seven of the 16 fall deaths were from head injury. Four of the fall deaths occurred due to falling off the escalator while riding the escalator siderails. In 1994, the Consumer Product Safety Commission estimated that there were 7,300 escalator and 9,800 elevator injuries requiring hospitalization (CPSC 1998, Cooper 1997). The data was based on a nationwide survey of 90 hospitals.

With all of this data publicly available, somehow the elevator service companies feel it is in the best interest of the public to employ the services of their own inspector of choice to ensure their customers’ elevators or escalators are safe. If a building owner allows his or her elevator maintenance company to decide who performs their elevator inspections, are they getting the most scrutinous inspections available, or is their responsibility being circumvented in order to obtain a “clean inspection”? The answer to that couldn’t be any more obvious.

Chapter 399.025(b) (Elevator Safety Act) states, […The elevator owner is responsible for the safe operation, proper maintenance, and inspection and correction of code deficiencies of the elevator after a certificate of operation has been issued by the department..]. Not only is it morally wrong to let elevator maintenance companies inspect their own equipment, it is apparently legally wrong as well.

The majority of independent, third-party elevator inspectors are unbiased when it comes to performing their duties, and will almost always cite the elevator contractor for deficiencies on their elevator inspection reports to ensure the safety of the riding public. If the practice of allowing elevator maintenance companies to secure the services of an elevator inspector goes unchecked, the statistics presented earlier in this letter will surely rise.

Can we allow this to continue? In good conscience, I don’t see how we can.