The safety of lifts in Dutch buildings is in danger because four of the six companies licenced to test them are not independent of lift maintenance companies, according to a confidential health and safety inspectorate report in the hands of NRC.

Lift safety inspection companies, which are licenced by the government, must by law be independent of the owner of the building and the maintenance companies. In practice, inspection and maintenance companies often have business ties, reports NRC.
Of the six inspection companies, four depend for more than half their revenue on large contracts with maintenance companies. This can lead to less critical safety reports and corner-cutting, says the report.
The inspection companies say they still have sufficient guarantees against interference but that the pressure is mounting, according to the report.
The Netherlands has 84,000 lifts which are inspected every six months. Since 2000, 17 people have died in lift accidents. In 2010, around 500 people were injured in or by a lift.