By Nita Gandhi / News Editor
Permits in the elevator (Allison Perez / Asst. Photo Editor)
By Nita Gandhi / News Editor
The elevators at Riverside City College all have permits visible inside.
All six elevators at RCC will be inspected in early July. All buttons look intact and the permits are visible for everyone to see.
The elevators at the art and ceramics building, Business Education building, Life Science building, Student Center, and Technology B will be inspected on July 7. The Digital Library elevator will be inspected July 6.
The Business Education building elevator has a temporary permit, but will be inspected on July 7.
According to the department of industrial relations California code of regulations title 8, division 1, chapter 4, subchapter 6, elevator safety orders states that elevators must be inspected annually.
This means that a company that is certified by the State will inspect all the elevators on campus on the date the permit expires.
Viewpoints wrote an article on the elevators in November 2010 and two out of the six elevators did not have the permits posted.
Scott Zwart, the facilities manager said in Nov. 2010 that the permits were not visible due to vandalism.
Zwart said that he thinks the reason people steal the permits is because it’s an enclosed area with no cameras, so they can take it and no one would see them.
Zwart has a binder in his office with all the information on the elevators on campus with copies of permits, preliminary orders from Amtech Elevator Service to fix things with all elevators including in other buildings like the Martin Luther King, Jr. learning resource center, the parking structure, RCC District office and coming soon the Wheelock Gymnasium.
Any maintenance person on the RCC staff cannot work on the elevators. Even if someone is stuck inside an elevator, personnel cannot go inside or fix the elevator to get them out.
RCC has a contract with a company in Anaheim called Amtech Elevator Service to inspect and maintain all the elevators on campus. If a light is broken, a button does not work, etc. a technician from Amtech comes out and fixes the problem with the elevator.
A representative from Amtech spoke to Viewpoints and said that they have had a good working relationship with RCC and has been their client for about 10 to 15 years.
The representative further said that Amtech has technicians in the Riverside area and can respond to emergencies on campus with the elevators in an hour or less.
The state inspects the elevators once a year, and do not come at one time.
“We are getting closer for the state to come out at one time to inspect the elevators,” Zwart said.
Once the inspection is completed, the state will issue the permit that the elevator is alright to be used.
Zwart said that if any student, faculty or staff sees anything that needs to be fixed to please let someone from facilities know right away and they will send someone to fix it.
