WASHINGTON ELEVATOR INSPECTION BACKLOG VIOLATES STATE LAW

A state investigation in Washington recently discovered that the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has not been complying with the state law that requires inspections of every elevator and escalator in the state annually, KING5 News reports. According to the state auditors, more than half of the 18,000 conveyances – mostly elevators and escalators – were not inspected in 2018. Thousands of the units had not been inspected for two to three years, and three units hadn’t been inspected in more than 10 years. L&I blamed the backlog on a building boom and lack of inspectors. The department recently hired six inspectors and intends to ask for additional funding to hire up to 10 more.