Elevators and Lifts Pass Year 2000 Test

The Department of Labour assures Nova Scotians there will be no risk using elevators in buildings across the province when the year 2000 begins.

"We have heard the concerns being expressed elsewhere in Canada, and while we believe these other jurisdictions are being responsible in issuing an alert, I want to reassure all Nova Scotians that we met and addressed the issue of Y2K compliance as it pertains to elevators," Labour Minister Russell MacKinnon said.

Employees in the Elevators and Lifts Section of the Public Safety Division, Department of Labour, have been dealing with the possible consequences of the year 2000 computer problems. The section is headed by Charles Dwyer, acting chief elevator inspector of Nova Scotia.

"Mr. Dwyer and his section began working with registered elevator contractors in February to verify whether this issue was a safety concern," Mr. MacKinnon said. "Through these discussions and as part of the mandated annual safety inspections done by our staff, we have been able to determine that none of the elevators in Nova Scotia are directly affected by the year 2000 problem."

The March 1998 edition of Elevator World reported that "typical elevator controls are not programmed to be date aware." The publication also noted that "we see absolutely no problem with elevator controls."

Some of the more sophisticated elevator controls are operated through personal computers, which could be affected by the Y2K problem. However, none of these systems are in use in Nova Scotia.