Have a question about some aspect of working at NIH? Use our feedback form to post an anonymous query, and we'll try to provide an answer.
Feedback:
For the past month, these elevators have been slower than ever, leading to wait times of up to 10 minutes or more. This is a safety issue.
When will this problem be addressed appropriately?
Response from Office of Research Facilities
Thank you for your feedback. Judging from the timing of your question, the issue cited appears to have been caused by a high volume of ridership resulting from the unscheduled shutdown of two elevators on the east side of Bldg. 10. The passengers who would normally ride east elevators migrated to the center elevator bank at a time when one of the four central elevators was out of service for scheduled repairs.
Since the time of this complaint, the elevators in question were repaired and placed back in service.
Another regrettable aspect of elevator reliability is that vandalism of the interior components or doors has repeatedly occurred. If anyone notices acts of vandalism, please report them to the NIH Police. The Office of Research Facilities is also investigating the feasibility of installing surveillance cameras in elevators to deter vandalism.
Overall, despite mechanical failures and acts of vandalism, Bldg. 10 elevators are operating at 90 percent availability. We do our best to schedule repairs and preventive maintenance, taking into account elevators already out of service. Our goal is to have no more than one elevator in a bank out of service at any one time. We appreciate your understanding.