by Government in five to eight years -- despite the fact they are supposed to be checked annually.

And the vast majority of public elevators display either expired permits or no permits at all -- contravening the Building Authority Act 1962.

Even the elevators in the Government Administration Building and the nearby Post Office building display no permits, despite the fact the Building Authority (Elevators and Lifts) Regulations 1962 state: "No elevator, amusement device or portable lift shall be operated without a permit from the Building Authority,''and "all permits shall be posted in the car of an elevator.'' Of 32 buildings with public elevators inspected by The Royal Gazette , only five contained current permits, which are valid for one year.

The lifts in 12 of the buildings displayed no permits.

And of the 20 permits that were displayed, 15 were expired.

Not every elevator was checked, but nearly all of those in the main business area around Church and Victoria streets were.

The permit in the elevator at Cedar House West on Cedar Avenue had expired nearly eight years ago -- on November 29, 1987.

Six others -- those at the Continental Building, Reid House, the Arcade Building, Windsor Place, Cedar House, and Melbourne House -- expired in 1990 or early in 1991.

Elevator inspections are the responsibility of the Planning Department.

Through a spokesman, Government electrical inspector Mr. Steven Emery said there was no cause for concern.

The elevators would be regularly inspected under private maintenance contracts between the building's owners and the companies that installed the lifts, Mr.

Emery told assistant Director of Planning Ms Aideen Ratteray Pryse.

Still, the Government inspections -- which checked safety features and pulleys inside the elevator car and out -- represented an important Government check of the private sector, Ms Ratteray Pryse said.

"It's like everything,'' she said. "You're pretty sure the cook in the restaurant is doing everything properly. But you want some fallback in case he's not.

"I think anyone who is in a building that hasn't been inspected properly should be concerned. But you'd be surprised at the number of people in the general public who don't seem to care.'' It was up to the occupiers of the building to apply for an inspection and permit renewal, she said. It was not up to the Planning Department to go out and make sure they were up to date.

Elevator inspections years out of date Asked why there were no permits displayed in the Government Administration Building elevator which she rides every working day, Ms Ratteray Pryse first expressed surprise.

After checking with Mr. Emery, she told The Royal Gazette : "The cards aren't in there because we're making up new cards.'' The permits were taken down "a couple of weeks ago'' to be replaced with new ones with more space to show when the elevators were last inspected, she said.

And the new permits had not gone up yet because "the person who needs to sign them is off the Island.'' The same was true of the elevator at the Post Office, used by Works & Engineering officials, she said.

Nevertheless, several permits in Hamilton elevators bear Mr. Emery's signature.

A summary conviction under the Building Authority Act 1962 brings a fine of $750 and can bring a further fine of $150 for each day the offence continues.

Ms Ratteray Pryse urged the occupiers of buildings with elevators to call the Planning Department so inspections could be set up.

Mr. J. Howard Olsen, Bermuda manager for Otis Elevators, said his company holds maintenance contracts for 200 Bermuda elevators -- which he estimated was about 80 percent of those on the Island.

Most elevators were inspected monthly or semi-monthly, he said.

In many respects, elevator inspection "boils down to an insurance issue,'' and a building's insurers will make sure inspections occur, regardless of what Government does, Mr. Olsen said.

"The safety record of elevators is probably better than the airlines, or anyone else,'' he said.

Building Last inspected Government Administration Building No permit displayed Post Office No permit displayed Par-La-Ville Place No permit displayed Clarendon House No permit displayed Bank of Butterfield Rosedon Centre No permit displayed Dorchester House October 27, 1994 Hemisphere House No permit displayed Chevron House October 15, 1992 City Hall October 2, 1992 Russell Eve Building August 20, 1992 Continental Building October 15, 1990 Reid House January 3, 1991 Corner House No permit displayed Global House October 26, 1994 Bank of Bermuda, Church Street No permit displayed Sofia House August 1, 1995 44 Church Street No permit displayed Fernance B. Perry Building August 1, 1995 Imperial Arcade Building April 16, 1993 Washington Mall July 15, 1994 Washington Mall Phase II July 15, 1994 Mechanics Building No permit displayed Arcade Building January 17, 1991 Windsor Place January 25, 1991 Craig Appin House October 27, 1994 Cumberland House No permit displayed Victoria Hall No permit displayed CedarParkade January 9, 1992 Crawford House August 20, 1992 Cedar House November 22, 1990 Cedar House West November 29, 1987 Melbourne House February 6, 1991