Senate Creates New York State Elevator Safety and Standards Board To Improve Public Safety

(Albany, NY) The Senate today passed legislation to reduce unsafe elevator hazards and help protect New Yorkers. This bill, sponsored by Senator Diane Savino, will create the New York State Elevator Safety and Standards Board, and establish license requirements and standards for elevator contractors, mechanics, and inspectors.

“Since 2010, 22 people have lost their lives due to irresponsible elevator maintenance and operations,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said. “Improving elevator safety and ensuring maintenance personnel are well trained and licensed is a common sense way to help save New Yorkers’ lives. This important legislation has passed the Assembly seven times only to be ignored by the previous Senate Majority. Thankfully, the new Senate Democratic Majority has advanced this good bill and I thank Senator Savino for her leadership on this important issue.”

Bill Sponsor, Senator Diane Savino said, “New York is home to 10 percent of the elevators in the nation, but doesn't have a minimum training requirement for those who work on them. This legislation will require that those workers are trained and licensed to ensure that elevators are safe not just for those who ride them, but those who work on them as well. I thank Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins for taking up this legislation and helping to ensure its passage.”

Senate Bill, S.4080-B, will:

• Require the licensing of persons engaged in the design, construction, inspection, maintenance, alteration, and repair of elevators and other automated people moving devices.
• Create the elevator contractor license, elevator mechanics license and elevator inspector license.
• Establish the New York State Elevator Safety and Standards Board which will consist of nine (9) members of which three (3) each are appointed by the Governor, Speaker of the Assembly and Temporary President of the Senate.