A computer software problem has been blamed for about 9,000 expired elevator inspection certificates in Chicago, officials said.
The Buildings Department hasn’t issued certificates since February, said spokeswoman Kristen Lobbins-Cabanban, who blamed a “software glitch” for delays in getting them printed.
“I assure you that this is not a safety issue at all,” she said. “We haven’t been able to print current certificates, but that doesn’t mean the building elevator hasn’t undergone normal inspection or that the elevator is unsafe.”
The inspection certificates in most city elevators still bear the name of former Buildings Commissioner Mary Richardson-Lowry.
Lobbins-Cabanban said computer technicians are trying to correct the problem that has prevented the city from printing certificates with the name of John Roberson, the current buildings commissioner.
Elevators are required to have annual inspections, and building owners can be fined for failing to display a current certificate.
Lobbins-Cabanban said people can call the Buildings Department to get current inspection information.
The department did not consider other methods of getting certificates out, such as typing them on a manual typewriter or providing photocopies because “the city does not have the kind of manpower for that,” she said.
The problem should be corrected by mid-November, Lobbins-Cabanban said.
David Shwarts, a property manager for Kass Management Services, noticed expired certificates in many of the buildings he manages and called the Buildings Department for copies.
“I was just floored, just floored,” Shwarts said.
