Escalator Safety
SECTION 95.
Section 65 of said chapter 143, as so appearing, is hereby amended by adding the following 2 paragraphs:-
No elevator licensed under this chapter shall be operated without a valid inspection certificate. If a certificate has expired, no new certificate shall be issued until a new inspection has been completed and no elevator shall be operated until a new certificate has been issued by a qualified state inspector. The owner or operator of an elevator who fails to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of $1,000 for each day that an elevator is in operation without a valid certificate. The commissioner or the commissioner's designee, and such other person as may be specifically authorized, may issue a written notice of violation under section 21 of chapter 22 for a violation of this section.
An owner or operator of an elevator shall not be assessed a fine for having violated this section if: (i) 30 days prior to the expiration of a certificate, the owner or operator has, in writing or in any manner prescribed by the department, requested an inspection of the elevator by the department and an inspection was not completed within the 30-day period; and (ii) the elevator was not determined to be unsafe at any time during the 30-day period, notwithstanding that the results of an inspection were rendered beyond such 30-day period.