Region 2 Elevator Inspectors (left to
right): David Dillon, John Rubaclava, Roy Miller and Rick Schumacher. (Not shown: Bob Hoeschen and Michael Jones.)

L&I's Region 2 elevator inspectors are responsible for conveyances in King County and the surrounding area. This area includes Auburn, Bellevue, parts of Bothel, Burien, Des Moines,
Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland, Redmond, Renton, parts of Seattle, Woodinville and a few other locations.

Inspector Bob Hoeschen has been with L&I for a decade – the longest of the elevator inspectors in Region 2. Bob came to L&I with 38 years in the elevator industry. Bob has been involved in training fire departments across the state in the safe evacuation of passengers from stalled
elevators.

Inspector Rick Schumacher is a relative newcomer, with only nine months at L&I. Rick has 35 years of experience in the elevator industry. In Rick's opinion, the most important aspect of his job is safety for both the public and the people who service and maintain elevators.

Inspector Michael Jones has been with L&I for nine years. Prior to coming to L&I, Michael spent 19 years working in the elevator industry. Michael and Inspector David Dillon are the primary inspectors for the conveyances at Sea-Tac.

David Dillon has been an elevator inspector with L&I for eight years. He spent 18 years in the private sector working in the elevator industry prior to becoming an inspector.

John Rubaclava came to work at L&I as an elevator inspector two years ago. John spent 30 years in the elevator industry installing and repairing elevators. He also owned his own elevator company for four years.

Roy Miller has been an elevator inspector with L&I for four years. Roy came to L&I with 20 years experience in the elevator industry.

All totaled, the inspectors in Region 2 represent 160 years of experience in the elevator industry.

Our inspectors are interested in learning more about technological advances and new products in
the industry. If you are interested in presenting your company's products during our training sessions in 2004, please contact the Elevator Section by Oct. 31 to be placed on our schedule. Please include your name and title, your company's name, a contact number and a brief description of the material you would like to present. We urge all companies to take advantage of this opportunity to educate our inspectors on your products.

In addition, we have received many requests to participate in training programs from different associations and groups. Unfortunately, due to budget constraints, we have not always been able to fulfill these requests. If you are interested in having an L&I representative provide elevator training for your group in 2004, please contact us by Oct. 31. This will better enable us to fill as many requests as possible while also anticipating the impact of these requests on our budget for the upcoming year.

September 2003
Sept. 22: Stakeholders' meeting, 1 to 4 p.m., Spokane City Hall

Sept. 25: Elevator Safety Advisory Committee, 9 a.m. to Noon, Tukwila L&I office

October 2003
Oct. 7: Subcommittee on residential units, 9 a.m. to noon, Tukwila L&I office

November 2003
Nov. 5: Safety Fair, all day, Department of Transportation

Nov. 9-15: Elevator Escalator Safety Awareness Week, nationwide

Nov. 18: Advisory Committee meeting (subcommittee on residential units to also meet at this time), 9 to 11 a.m., Tukwila L&I office

December 2003
Dec. 10: Subcommittee on residential units, 9 a.m. to noon, Tukwila L&I office

Each month we will feature a question that was posed to our Technical Specialist, Becky Ernstes. This month's question:

Q: Where do I put the disconnect for a wheelchair lift?

A: For wheelchair lifts that are not enclosed in hoistways, the disconnect may be mounted inside
of the enclosure if it meets exception 1 or 2 under Rule 430.109 (C) of the 2002 National Electric
Code and uses a switch that does not require maintenance and working clearances. For
disconnects that require maintenance, and have working clearances, the switch may be located
outside of the enclosure as long as it is within site of the motor controller.

For wheelchair lifts located in fully enclosed hoistways, if the hoistway is not large enough to
provide working clearances (generally a minimum of three feet), you could provide a switch that
meets type 1 or 2 under 430.109 (C) of the 2002 National Electric Code as long as the switch
does not have any serviceable parts.

For more information on this, please refer to the "Technical Clarification for Disconnecting means on Wheelchair Lifts" at www.LNI.wa.gov/
scs/elevators/bulletins/
techclar.doc.

If you would like to submit a question, please contact Becky at 360-902-6132, or e-mail ernb235@lni.wa.gov.

I am extremely proud of the customer service that the Elevator Section administrative staff
provides to our customers. However, we are currently shorthanded due to the absence of one our staff members. This may result in a delay to the service you receive. We are working to remedy this matter. Until we do, I ask for your patience and understanding if you experience a slowdown in service. — Dotty Stanlaske, Elevator Chief

September 2003
Edition 4