By Michael Adkison
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Multiple elevators on campus have expired safety inspection dates for their certifications, despite daily use.
Elevators in the University of Arkansas Union, Kimpel Hall, and Memorial Hall each are overdue for inspection by eight months.
“I believe that they do [inspections] annually or semi-annually,” Administrative Support Supervisor Hershel Hartford said. “I do know they regularly inspect them.”
The Arkansas Department of Labor requires inspection for passenger elevators every six months, and freight elevators need re-inspection after twelve months.
Arkansas elevator code also requires “conspicuous” display of certification, but many elevators violate this rule as well, with certifications posted either too low or too high for legibility.
One of Kimpel Hall’s two elevators broke down last week, leaving students and faculty with just one elevator to use. There’s just one problem: its license is expired.
Maintenance workers have been renovating and fixing the elevator for the last week.
“After years of use, they are in need of replacement parts and those sorts of things,” Hartford said.
Despite inspections for the broken-down elevator, the sole operating elevator in Kimpel still has an expired license.
Most elevators on campus are due for a new inspection in March 2020.