Follow-up Audit Report on New York City Transit’s Efforts to Inspect, Repair, and Maintain Elevators and Escalators

AUDIT REPORT IN BRIEF

This follow-up audit determined whether New York City Transit (NYCT) implemented the 17 recommendations made in a previous audit, Audit Report on New York City Transit Efforts to Inspect, Repair and Maintain Elevators and Escalators (#MJ10-065A), issued July 23, 2010.

NYCT is the largest agency in the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) regional transportation network. NYCT operates 24 subway lines that connect 468 active stations throughout four of the City’s five boroughs. The NYCT subway serves an average of 4.5 million riders daily. The NYCT Division of Elevators and Escalators (E&E) is responsible for ensuring that all elevators and escalators in subway stations and other NYCT facilities are clean, safe, and reliable. To respond to outages as they occur, E&E operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The prior audit disclosed weaknesses and inefficiencies that inhibited and, at times, rendered inadequate E&E’s efforts to maintain, inspect, and repair station elevators and escalators. While the NYCT E&E was found to have a comprehensive program for the operation of subway station elevators and escalators, it did not ensure that all required preventive and scheduled maintenance system work was performed consistently. Although inspection records revealed that a significant portion of required equipment inspections were performed, five-year safety tests were lacking. Further, NYCT did not have sufficient credible data to adequately assess its performance regarding the repair and maintenance of elevator inspections.

Audit Findings and Conclusions

This audit determined that overall NYCT has made improvements in addressing weaknesses and inefficiencies in its efforts to maintain, inspect, and repair subway station elevators and escalators that were disclosed in the prior audit. Specifically, we determined that of the 17 recommendations made in the previous audit, NYCT implemented 11 (#’s 1, 3, 5, 6, 8–12, 16, and 17), partially implemented five (#’s 2, 7, 13, 14, and 15), and one other (#4) was no longer applicable. However, we found that NYCT needs to improve its response time to address and remediate Type A (critical) defects and has not developed a standard timeframe within which Type B (non-critical) deficiencies are to be addressed. Further, while E&E performed most required safety inspections and tests, it needs to ensure that all such inspections and tests are performed as required.

Audit Recommendations

To address these weaknesses, the audit makes eight recommendations, including that NYCT should:

• Ensure that all instances of non-performance of scheduled preventive maintenance assignments are appropriately investigated and followed up on.
• Ensure that all required safety inspections and tests are performed as required and that second or additional inspections, if required, are conducted at the time intervals prescribed by established criteria.
• Work to improve the response time to addressing and remediating Type A defects. In addition, develop a standard timeframe within which Type B deficiencies are to be addressed and corrected.

Agency Response

NYCT officials agreed with all eight of the audit’s recommendations, stating that they will continue their efforts to achieve full implementation of the recommendations.