DLLR's Division of Labor and Industry

Elevator Safety, 3rd Party Inspections

View the January, 2010 Stakeholders meeting PowerPoint presentation (PowerPoint document, 918KB, download PowerPoint viewer for free
 
View the July, 2009 Stakeholders meeting PowerPoint presentation (PowerPoint document, 383KB, download PowerPoint viewer for free

The Commissioner of Labor and Industry is responsible for ensuring that elevator units operating in Maryland are tested and inspected. Each owner is responsible for ensuring that each elevator unit has a valid certificate of inspection issued by the Commissioner demonstrating that it has been inspected. Elevator units are not permitted to operate without a valid certificate of inspection.

During the 2009 legislative session a new law was passed which will enhance the safety of Maryland citizens and visitors to Maryland that utilize elevator systems. The new law mandates that an owner of an elevator unit operating in Maryland contract with an authorized third party elevator inspector to perform a periodic annual inspection of their elevator unit. This new law took effect July 1, 2009.

Currently State law requires that periodic annual inspections be performed on all elevator units and the owner of an elevator unit has the option of contracting with an authorized third party inspector or utilizing State resources to comply with the annual inspection requirement. As of July 1, 2009 State inspectors will no longer perform periodic annual inspections on privately owned elevator units. The owner must hire an authorized third party elevator inspector to perform the required periodic annual inspection.

A third party elevator inspector must be authorized by the Commissioner of Labor and Industry before he or she can perform inspections in Maryland. To become an authorized inspector approved to conduct a periodic annual inspection one must possess and maintain an ASME-QEI certification and general liability insurance and provide this documentation to the Commissioner annually as required by regulation. The authorized inspector must also be an independent elevator consultant, employed by an independent inspection agency or employed by the insurer of the elevator unit.

State law also requires that the owner re-register their elevator units with the Commissioner annually. The annual re-registration will coincide with the periodic annual inspection. The Safety Inspection Unit will send notice alerting the owner that the periodic annual inspection and re-registration is due. It is the owner's responsibility to ensure that the elevator unit is re-registered and the periodic annual inspection is performed. Failure to do so is a violation of the law and subject to penalty.

A list of authorized third party Level 1 elevator inspectors available to perform periodic annual inspections can be found on our website (PDF document, 12KB, download Adobe Acrobat for free).

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Questions or comments regarding Safety Inspections may be directed to safe4u@dllr.state.md.us
Questions or comments regarding the Division of Labor and Industry may be directed to dli@dllr.state.md.us.
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