As an elevator safety inspector you will have a list of registered moving equipment used in your area. In your records, you should have a schedule for when you will perform annual inspection of these locations. As new buildings requiring elevators or escalators are completed, you will have to inspect the equipment when it is installed. For all of these inspections you will have to write reports and submit them to your supervisor, with details of any faults noted and the time limit for having the repairs completed. At the same time, it is your job to provide assistance to the contractor or owner of the building in finding ways to solve the problem or do the necessary repairs. If there are problems, this will mean a return visit to ensure that they have been resolved correctly.
In the job of elevator safety inspector, you will need to review the policies of your department to ensure that they comply with the state and federal laws, especially if there have been recent changes. You may have a supervisory duty in this job as well to review the practices of licensed inspectors to make sure that they are also complying with the laws when carrying out their initial inspections. If there are failures reported in elevator or moving lift systems, you will be the person called upon to investigate the failure to determine the cause, for which you will have to file a report.
You will need to have a certificate in from a four-year program at a technical college. To obtain the position of elevator safety inspector, you will also need at least four years of experience in the mechanical or electrical trade, one year of which must be in the area of working with the design, repair, installation or inspection of elevators. If you don’t already have certification, you must be eligible for a certificate from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Qualified Elevator Inspectors. This is a national certificate and it is also possible that you need state certification to work at this job. You do need to check your state regulations.
An elevator safety inspector must be knowledgeable about the laws of the state and federal government with respect to elevator safety and how to translate these laws into practical terms that help you with the specifics of the job. An in-depth knowledge of how elevators are designed and constructed is also essential. You will be working in all kinds of conditions and you must be able to stoop, bend and kneel for long periods of time. You also need to have excellent communication skills, not only for writing your reports, but also for explaining the problems to contractors or others who need this information.