LIHUE >> Expired operating permits for elevators in Kauai buildings highlight state inspectors’ inability to travel to Hawaii’s neighbor islands, according to state workers responsible for the inspections.

Seventy-eight percent of Hawaii’s 6,700 elevators and related systems have expired operating permits, including some on Kauai that have expired permits dating to 2008, The Garden Island reported today.

The state’s Elevator Inspection Section has no supervisor and there are just seven inspectors for all of Hawaii, leading to years of inspection backlog and limited resources to travel to outer islands, staff members told the newspaper.

"A lot of it is our fault," said Jennifer Shishido, an administrator for Hawaii’s Occupational Safety and Health Department, blaming "chronic" understaffing. "We’re just not able to get there."

State law requires elevators to be tested and examined annually by a state inspector.

Older elevators are given priority, along with those that serve the handicapped, hospitals, senior homes and schools. "As soon as the financial picture looks a little better, we’ll be able to address this," Shishido said. "Overall, we need more people. That’s the bottom line." 

All seven elevators at the Kauai Judicial Building have expired operating permits and the oldest permit on display expired in 2008. Otis Elevator Company is providing monthly maintenance despite a lack of state inspection, said David Lam, the building’s chief court administrator.  

Wilcox Memorial Hospital’s 11 elevators are also operating with expired permits, the newspaper reported, but passengers don’t see them because they are filed in offices and not displayed publicly. Hospital spokeswoman Lani Yukimura said there have been no complaints or elevator-related injuries reported.