In 2021, I wrote an article about the elevator industry in Israel. At that time, Israel had 117 elevator inspectors certified by the Director of Safety at the Ministry of Labor, who were responsible for inspecting over 120,000 elevators. In Israel, elevator inspectors are private individuals who are certified by the Ministry of Labor. The inspectors are responsible for inspecting each elevator twice a year. Management companies or housing committees are required to sign contracts with inspectors.
In 2019, the Ministry of Labor held a tender to hire private detectives to oversee the inspectors’ daily inspections. The reason for this radical decision was an audit that revealed that some elevator inspectors were inspecting too many lifting devices in a short period of time. In addition, it turned out that some inspectors were issuing certificates knowing that the elevators were faulty and that their continued use could be dangerous and even fatal.
According to the tender description, private detectives were to monitor inspectors remotely, documenting the duration of elevator inspections. It was specifically emphasized that private detectives would not invade the personal space of inspectors, nor would they visit the places where elevators were installed. Inspectors found to be negligent were to be stripped of their licenses. Naturally, the announcement of the tender caused discontent among inspectors across the country.