MASSACHUSETTS ADDRESSES ELEVATOR INSPECTION BACKLOG

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker addressed concerns over the backlog of elevators overdue for state inspections. According to the Boston Business Journal, an investigation last month revealed that more than 4,500 of the state’s approximately 42,000 elevators didn’t comply with annual inspection requirements. The Office of Public Safety and Inspections is responsible for the annual inspections. Baker said the backlog is partially due to the construction boom. Nearly a dozen people were reportedly injured on elevators overdue for inspections between 2016 and 2018. The Legislature used to require elevator inspectors to report on the state of the backlog every year but eliminated that requirement in 2017. Since then, the backlog has grown by thousands of elevators.