One elevator at a time

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?subjectid=11&articleid=20120827_11_A9_CUTLIN218515

Michael Clendenin's life is full of ups and downs.

Tulsa has 2,085 elevators, and as the city's elevator inspector, it's Clendenin's job to make sure they are up to code and safe for public use.

The catch? He is the only inspector.

Clendenin tries to average 10 to 12 elevators a day to make sure each elevator is inspected yearly in accordance with state code.

"It's not my job to judge how good a job they are doing," he said. "Just as long as they are keeping the elevators safe."

Safety is the line that Clendenin refuses to cross. The bulk of his daily work is moving from location to location - or spending a few days in a large location such as a hospital - inspecting elevators as their yearly permits wane, and witnessing stress tests and checking the bells and whistles of newly installed elevators.

Clendenin moves from elevator cabins to machine rooms as his veteran eyes pick apart equipment violations, and above all, safety issues.

"You might want to fix that," Clendenin said during an inspection. It's his usual response to most violations, a quiet but firm command that sounds like a request and is typically responded to with a "yes, sir" or "you bet."

He then determines whether or not the violations have amounted to failing the elevator, which makes that elevator unavailable for public access until corrections are made.

Clendenin was in the elevator trade for about 25 years - he was previously a mechanic before he retired from that role - and he said he uses that knowledge to make judgment calls on whether or not enough violations amount to failing an elevator. There are no set standards when it comes to minor violations piling up, Clendenin said.

But there are some things that Clendenin doesn't tolerate.

Nothing will get an elevator failed faster than not having a working call phone and an alarm bell or a buzzing stop button, he said. He also fails elevators most often for not keeping up-to-date documentation of safety tests.

"If someone gets trapped in there, there is no way for that person to let anyone know they are trapped," he said.

Clendenin spent part of his Friday inspections at Tulsa's First Presbyterian Church to fully pass newly installed elevators that only received a partial pass due to a few issues. He was led by Tommy McCord, Kone elevator mechanic, as they went over issues from the previous inspection.

McCord proudly showed off changes made to the elevators per the inspector's request. However, there was a brief moment of concern after Clendenin activated one of the elevator's call buttons.

"It's taking a bit long," Clendenin said.

"It can take a little bit longer as the operator gets location information from the elevator," McCord said.

The call was answered shortly after the exchange, and the rest of the inspection went off without any other issues. The church's new elevators were passed and will be set up on a yearly inspection cycle.

Elevators can be passed, failed or closed when they are put out of commission, according to city inspection results.

From Jan. 1 to Aug. 7, 1,363 elevators were inspected with 139 failing and 1,155 passing. Sixty-nine elevators were marked as closed.

Elevator permits are only one of 24 permits managed by Tulsa, city permit manager Cheryl Reichman said.

While it may seem Clendenin has a momentous task of monitoring the city's elevators, Reichman said one inspector in a city as big as Tulsa is "pretty typical." The number of elevators in the city fluctuates a bit, but mostly remains about the same as new elevators are put in others are decommissioned, she said.

Clendenin said he plans to continue inspecting Tulsa's elevators until he meets the city's 80-year retirement rule, which is when years of employment in the city and the worker's age equal 80. He has been with the city since Dec. 1, 2010, so he has about nine to 10 years of service left before that point.

He said plans to use that time to travel and do other yet unplanned activities. But for the moment he will enjoy the work that he has.

"I love the elevator trade," Clendenin said. "I'm so appreciative that I can apply the knowledge gained in my second career."