Pressure to Sign Maintenance Records for Visits Not Performed
A newly certified EDM works for a contractor responsible for 22 elevators in a mixed portfolio. Because two mechanics are on leave, the supervisor hands over a stack of monthly maintenance record sheets and says: 'Fill these in from last month's sheets; just change the dates. Do a quick visual on the three downtown units if you have time. Nobody checks.' One of the 22 is a 14-storey office tower elevator with a history of door-lock faults and a tenant complaint about the doors hesitating. The mechanic is scheduled for 10 hours of overtime and is told the client will not pay for extra visits. The mechanic knows that the adopted CSA B44 requires maintenance and records, and that TSSA licenses the contractor and certifies the mechanic. The tower elevator is currently running.
1. What regulatory and professional problems arise from signing the records as instructed? Consider the mechanic, the contractor, and the owner.
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Signing the sheets is falsification. The record tells the owner, the next mechanic, and TSSA that maintenance was performed on specific dates. If a door-lock fault on the tower elevator later causes an entrapment or injury, the false record becomes evidence that required maintenance was skipped and that the contractor concealed it. For the mechanic, this is professional misconduct and can put the certificate of qualification at risk; for the contractor, the elevating devices licence and insurance are at risk; for the owner, the building's due diligence is undermined. It is also an offence under the Technical Standards and Safety Act, 2000 to make a false statement or to contravene the regulation. The fact that 'nobody checks' is irrelevant; the record is relied on precisely because no one can watch every visit. The correct frame is not 'paperwork' but safety-critical evidence.
2. What should the mechanic do in the next hour, and how should the refusal be documented and escalated?
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In the next hour: do not sign the sheets. State clearly and factually that you cannot record work that was not done, and ask for a revised schedule that covers the 22 units or a prioritization approved by the contractor. Put the refusal in writing (email is fine) to the supervisor, copying the contractor's responsible person, listing the units affected and the risk at the tower elevator with the door-lock history. Offer a workable alternative: perform real maintenance on the highest-risk units today, record exactly what was done, and schedule the rest. If the supervisor insists, escalate to the contractor's licence holder and, if necessary, contact TSSA. If any unit is found unsafe, remove it from service and notify the owner in writing. Keep a personal copy of the correspondence; a mechanic who is asked to falsify records needs a contemporaneous record of the refusal.
3. If only limited time is available, what maintenance tasks on the tower elevator must not be deferred, and how should a partial visit be recorded honestly?
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On the tower elevator, do not defer the door-related checks: door-lock and gate-switch operation at every floor, door reopening device, door closing force and time, car door operation, and emergency communication. These are the items tied to the complaint and to entrapment risk. Also verify the pit stop switch, car-top stop switch, and lighting if accessible. Record a partial visit honestly: date, time, actual tasks performed, readings, deficiencies found, and the fact that the remaining items were not performed and are scheduled. Never backdate or copy last month's readings. If the partial visit cannot cover the safety-critical items, the unit should be taken out of service rather than signed off. A truthful partial record plus a written follow-up plan is far better than a complete-looking false one.