Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Karla Davis, Commissioner

The next time you press a button to designate the floor where you want an elevator to stop, thank one of the 23 elevator inspectors employed by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development that your conveyance is operating safely.

Every elevator in the state, passenger and freight, is inspected twice a year, which means over 20,000 inspections a year. The division also conducts initial inspections on new buildings to make sure elevators are installed properly. An elevator cannot be operated until the state inspects it and assigns a number.

When an inspector goes on a job site, he goes without an appointment and meets with management personnel, then begins the inspection. The inspector will check safety devices, the complete hoistway, and limit and stop switches. A complete inspection takes about an hour per elevator.

In addition to acceptance inspections and routine inspections, elevator inspectors conduct inspections after accidents have occurred.

Send comments to Elevator Inspections Division