Although elevators are a safe and convenient mode of transporting people between the floors of your residential or commercial building, regular elevator maintenance is essential. As the technology involved has advanced, elevators have gotten safer over the years but still, like all forms of sophisticated equipment sometimes things can and do go wrong.

As part of your preventative maintenance regime, you want to know that your elevator system is fully code-compliant, that it is not in need of modernization, and that no parts or components need replacement.

As the property manager, you will contract with an elevator company to undertake regular maintenance checks. The company provides an Elevator Maintenance Agreement outlining their terms of service. This is where, you the building manager, you must pay attention to the ALL the fine print.

Some elevator service providers in Minnesota avoid spelling out the exact frequency of their on-site inspections by using vague terms like “periodically and systematically examine the elevator equipment.”  In some Elevator Maintenance Agreements, the service provider simply neglects to state how many times elevator maintenance will be performed over the course of one year.

While many elevator companies have gone to quarterly or even just a generic periodic style service plan, here at Star Lift LLC, we feel that to be effective, elevator maintenance must be performed monthly. As machines for moving people, elevators need regular inspections and adjustments. Unfortunately, due to rising labor costs, many of them do not receive the maintenance they need. Even property owners who do have monthly maintenance contracts complain of never seeing it performed until there is a problem.

As the building owner or manager, you must know if your elevator is being serviced monthly. Check your machine room maintenance log to see if you are getting what you are paying for.

Absolutely! And we have the experience to service all types, brands, and ages of elevator systems. Whether you have high speed traction equipment or a two-stop hydraulic elevator system, Star Lift has a service program that can be tailored to your needs to ensure the safe and reliable performance of your buildings elevator systems.

We are dedicated to providing the best possible preventive maintenance right from the start. Providing Superior Service to all our customers is key here at Star Lift. From the time we answer that first phone call in our offices until you are working beside our team in the field service is where we want to excel. This saves you money by preventing costly future equipment failures and decreased elevator downtime and complaints. Our standard “Oil & Grease” program includes the lubrication of your elevators equipment as required, along with keeping the elevator car and pit clean from debris. We also make minor adjustments to your various elevator components to keep your elevator running smoothly and efficiently.

Often customers are frustrated when they receive an elevator inspection violation notice from the state. If you receive a notice simply contact Star Lift and we will review it with you and develop a customized repair strategy to close all elevator-related open items.

If during a State safety inspection, the Safety Engineer finds any problems that need to be corrected on your building elevator, you will receive a Preliminary Order (PO) from the Minnesota Department of Industrial Relations district office. If you want to verify any details from the PO, you can contact the office via the address and phone number details you find on the form.

After elevator repairs and corrections have been made, you must send the written notice of corrections back to the specified office.

Notice that even if the elevator company you used to conduct the corrections have said that they will contact the office with this documentation, ultimately the responsibility for doing so is yours. Some of the corrections included in the elevator PO are building-related and the elevator service company is not able to clear these items.

If the district office does not receive written notification that the requirements have been corrected within 30 days, an Order To Correct Unsafe Conditions Or To Show Cause will be mailed to you indicating that you have 30 days to provide written proof that you have complied with the Preliminary Order or Show Cause why you need an extension.

If written compliance is not received within 30 days and an extension is not granted, an Order Prohibiting Use will be issued, and the conveyance will be shut down for non-compliance. An additional fee will be assessed for this.

1. Imminent Hazard — if an imminent (unsafe) hazard is found during an inspection, the conveyance will be immediately shut down for safety reasons until the hazard is corrected.
2. Non-compliance — if you receive a Preliminary Order after an inspection and do not comply with the requirements within the specified period the conveyance will be shut down.
3. Non-payment — if you do not pay the invoice in a timely manner or do not pay the penalties associated with non-payment the conveyance will be shut down.
4. Illegal device — if upon inspection, the Division finds that you are operating an illegal device not covered by the Elevator Safety Orders, the unit will be shut down.

Division of Occupational Safety and Health – Elevator unit