My several-year-long nerd snipe has comprised inspecting the inspection certificate in every elevator I enter. Who watches the watchers? I do. I focused on Connecticut legislation throughout this, though I expect the broad strokes are similar in many states.
We begin with a delightful article by Thomas E. Murphy in the Hartford Courant from September 1941.1It’s easy to joke about the state of the world at that time as the Courant publishes an article about elevators. I appreciate that my local newspaper still has relevant area news and interesting reporting on random topics. I’m sure this paper’s subscribers did, too. Its opening paragraph is an absolute treat.
Literally hundreds of thousands of Connecticut citizens are going up every day—using the safest form of transportation known to man, in defiance of all the laws of gravity, with comfort and only an occasional slight queasiness at the stomach—to indicate they have left the good earth.
I mean, c’mon. Quaint and charming, it sounds like the opening narration to a brief documentary given in that mercurial Mid-Atlantic accent. Go ahead and read the rest of it—I’ll wait.
Hartford_Courant_1941_09_28_70-ElevatorsIf you didn’t notice the catnip to an elevator certificate enthusiast such as myself, I’ll highlight it here:
One of the reasons why it’s safe is indicated on the little card you see attached to the back of every elevator you travel in. We say “every” elevator, because if that little card isn’t there, the elevator doesn’t travel—no, sir, it doesn’t.
Maybe this was more easily enforced when we still had elevator operators2It’s easy to make light of this job. This article from 1941 does the same, saying that all they do is push a button and, voilà , off the elevator goes. or a sufficient number of infrastructure inspectors.
A few paragraphs later, Mr. Murphy mentions the “elevator law which was passed in 1940.” I couldn’t find this legislation directly in any Connecticut archives, but it is referenced in several newspapers across Connecticut during the summer of 1939, rather than 1940. In the Hartford Courant again, they reported that the requirement for state elevator permits went into effect on July 1, 1939.
Digging further, I was interested to learn about the process of installing a new elevator. A 1947 bill required elevator installers to pass a licensure test given by a new state commission. At the time, an initial license cost five dollars (about $72.60 today) and subsequent annual renewals were one dollar (about $14.50 today).
Eighty years on, and the situation hasn’t changed much. To get licensed to work on an elevator today, an independent contractor pays $150 for both their initial application and annual renewal; a journeyperson—someone who is employed by a contractor—pays $90 and renews for $120. While that’s nearly a ten-times equivalent increase, in the broader context, those fees appear reasonable.
The nitty-gritty of elevator construction approval contains a phrase I always thought was satirical:
[…the details and specifications…] have been submitted in triplicate to the department for approval.
Triplicate it is.
Processing those plans and gaining the anticipated approval will run the interested party two hundred and fifty dollars per elevator.
I assumed inspections were annual. According to the history within the official regulations linked above, they were once as infrequent as every two years. Can you imagine how terrifying riding such a thoroughly ignored elevator would be? Luckily, Connecticut has reigned in its laissez-faire approach to safety and landed on an eighteen-month cycle.
Proprietors, be thoroughly warned: your first violation of either the inspection requirement or your duty to maintain the elevator will run you up to $250. That’s the cost of applying for another elevator! The gall! If you do it again, you’re in line for a class B misdemeanor—a penalty of up to six months in jail and up to a $1,000 fine.
Unsurprisingly, elevators are a largely settled technology. The core safety mechanisms have existed for nearly a century, and the bureaucratic machine for approval and inspection has followed in lockstep. Most legislative updates have either clarified the international safety standards one must follow or updated the fees and penalties with the times.3Funny how those can change somewhat more quickly than wages. Just… funny. Hah. I’ll look out for those eighteen-month expirations on certificates. Maybe I’ll request specifications in triplicate for my favorite elevators around New Haven.
My thanks to Cory Wong for inspiring the title of this article.
- 1It’s easy to joke about the state of the world at that time as the Courant publishes an article about elevators. I appreciate that my local newspaper still has relevant area news and interesting reporting on random topics. I’m sure this paper’s subscribers did, too.
- 2It’s easy to make light of this job. This article from 1941 does the same, saying that all they do is push a button and, voilà , off the elevator goes.
- 3Funny how those can change somewhat more quickly than wages. Just… funny. Hah.