By Daniel Flores

PAST DUE

By Daniel Flores

Despite a promise made by former RCC Facilities Maintenance Manager Harold Lindner last year, elevator permits on campus are outdated.

In an interview with Viewpoints in Oct. 2003 Lindner said, “I’m going to give them (the elevator division of the RCC Facilities Department) a notice every year, a week in advance.” Not only were permits not issued a week in advance, but in many cases they are one to two months past due for inspection.

Section 7301 of the California Labor Code requires that an elevator can not be operated unless the permit remains in effect and is kept posted conspicuously in the elevator car.

The elevators located in the Alan P. Pauw Business Education building and the elevator near the Arthur N. Wheelock Field both have permits that have been expired since Oct. 15. In fact, the Arthur N. Wheelock Field elevator was lacking a permit altogether for several weeks, until an outdated one was put into place.

This worries some students.

“I think it’s really scary that these elevators go uninspected. I mean, these things are not working half time and when they are they shutter and shake all the time,” said Elizabeth Hill.

According to Ralph Perez, Facilities Director the elevators are inspected.

“There are only two inspectors for all of the Inland Empire and down to San Diego. We are under their schedule,” Perez said.

The only elevators that have a valid permit on display are the elevators located in the Bookstore, which was inspected Oct. 21 and in the Digital Library which was inspected Sept. 15.

The problem extends beyond the Riverside Campus. The elevator located near the Student Services Building at the Norco Campus is also expired, its last inspection dating back to Nov. 4, 2003.

Perez said that the problems are being taken care of.

“Corrections have been made and we’re waiting for the permits to arrive in the mail so we can put them up,” Perez said.