HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1828

                       As Passed House

                       March 12,  1997

Title:  An act relating to inspection requirements for private residence conveyances.

Brief Description:  Establishing inspection requirements for private residence conveyances.

Sponsors:  By House Committee on Commerce & Labor (originally sponsored by  Representative Van Luven).

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Commerce & Labor:  2/17/97, 2/26/97 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House:  3/12/97, 97‑0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE & LABOR

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 9 members:  Representatives McMorris, Chairman; Honeyford, Vice Chairman; Conway, Ranking Minority Member; Wood, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Boldt; Clements; Cole; Hatfield and Lisk.

Staff:  Selwyn Walters (786-7117).

Background:  The Department of Labor and Industries administers and enforces a statutory program providing for the safe operation, erection, installation, alteration, inspection, and repair of elevators, escalators, dumbwaiters, belt man lifts, moving walks, and other similar conveyances.  The department has adopted rules, and has established fees for the enforcement and administration of the statute.

The statute applies to publicly and privately owned conveyances. An operating permit is required for each conveyance operated in the state.  However, conveyances found within and owned by a city that has an elevator code of equal requirements to those of the department, conveyances permanently removed from service, and certain lifts built temporarily for construction work are exempted by the statute from regulation.

An installation permit must be obtained from the department before a conveyance is built, installed, moved, or altered.  A permit is not required for repairs and replacement normally necessary for maintenance when parts of equivalent materials, strength, and design are used.

The statute requires annual inspection and testing of conveyances by the department.

Summary of Bill:  Private residence conveyances operated exclusively for single-family use are inspected and tested only when a permit is issued for installing, moving, or altering the conveyance, or when the Department of Labor and Industries investigates accidents or violations of the statute governing conveyances.

At the request of an owner, the department may perform additional inspections of a private residence conveyance.  The department may not perform an inspection until an owner pays a fee assessed by the department.      

A Aprivate residence conveyance@ means an elevator, escalator, dumbwaiter, belt moonlight, or moving walk installed in or on the premises of a single-family dwelling and operated to transport persons or property from one elevation to another.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  The Department of Labor and Industries does not have the resources to annually inspect private residence conveyances.  There are over 100 private residences to be inspected and each conveyance in different.  The department does not have a workable code to regulate each private residence conveyance, and the resources are not available to develop one.  Homeowners are very safety conscious because their families use the conveyances daily.  Public safety is not an issue because private residence conveyances are not opened to the public.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  DM Elber, Homeowners Inclined Lift User=s Group.