Georgia Regulators Can’t Track Overdue Elevator Inspections

Elevators across Georgia may be long overdue for safety inspections, but regulators have no way to know, thanks to a poorly set up computer database and a system that relies on self-policing.

The revelations came to light after an 18-year-old student athlete was trapped between floors in a balky elevator in an Atlanta apartment complex in August. The elevator had stopped between floors and JauMarcus McFarland was crushed when the car fell as he tried to crawl out.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the state Insurance Department’s database allowed regulators to view individual records of elevators but the system could not produce a list of elevators that were overdue for inspection, officials said. The result is that regulators had no idea the elevator that killed McFarland was overdue for inspection, the newspaper reported.

Staff with Insurance Commissioner John King’s office blamed the computer system that was installed a decade ago by a former commissioner and was kept in place by Jim Beck. Beck was elected commissioner in 2018 but was removed from office in 2019 after he was indicted in an embezzlement scheme. Beck was sentenced last week to 7 years in prison but has appealed the sentence.

Insurance Department officials say they installed new software in July that is capable of tracking systems due for inspection, but they are starting from scratch in developing an overdue list. Regulators won’t know until July 2022 which regulated systems have not been inspected.

Owners of the building where McFarland died have been fined. But that was only because the overdue inspections and repairs came to light after the accident. Despite repeated complaints about the faulty elevator, owners did not make needed repairs or call for inspections, residents have said.

The local building code notes that the owner has the duty to ensure that it is operating in compliance with state law and must proactively contact a state regulator for an inspection.

But relying on self-policing is a recipe for trouble, critics said.

“Where else is this happening?” said Georgia state Rep. Matthew Wilson, who sits on the House Insurance Committee and plans to run for insurance commissioner in 2022. “Because this isn’t the only building in Georgia where the elevator inspection is out of date. And what are we doing to prevent additional tragedies just like this one rather than waiting for them to occur and just imposing fines?”

Topics Georgia