City Hall Elevators Have Ups And Downs With Citations
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Normally you don't think twice about getting into an elevator.
But two after recent high-profile rescues in Chicago, there was a check on the elevators in City Hall, where the elevator rules are made and the enforcers work.
There's definitely room for improvement. That's according to the city's own records. When it comes to elevators at City Hall, the city of Chicago has not been in much of a hurry to make corrections.
On Monday in a South Loop parking garage, the city placed "out of service" stickers on an elevator that dropped several floors and trapped 15 people for nearly two hours.
Just blocks away at City Hall, where the public interacts with its government, the city has repeatedly cited itself for elevator code violations.
According to the city's own database, there are repeated citations since September that said the city "failed to maintain electric elevator equipment in safe and sound working condition."
The violations specifically concern cable guards in secondary areas. Experts said that's equipment in the shaft protecting maintenance workers' arms from being ripped off. Another violation: a failure of top of car hand rails. Experts said they are on the outside of the elevator preventing workers from falling down a hoistway.
"Chicago's elevators, are in general, in good condition. It depends on the elevator maintenance company," said elevator consultant Richard Gregory of Vertex Industries.
But in the case of the city, that would be its own staff from fleet and facility management.
This is a situation where the city cites itself, but apparently has yet to make repairs.
Repairs to elevators, where one has has a conditional operating permit dating back to January of 2017 posted inside. Whatever the issue was, it doesn't appear to have been fixed in nearly two years.
According to the city spokesperson, all the elevators in City Hall are undergoing a modernization program, the public is not at risk and that the elevators are safe.
