Escalating Problems for Escalators

If who responsible not clear, similar escalator accidents will happen in the future. 

On July 5, an upward-bound escalator at the Zoo Station of Beijing Metro line 4 suddenly changed direction. The less than two-year-old Otis made escalator’s sudden change injured 30 people and killed a 12-year boy. This malfunction was not an isolated incident; too many other escalator accidents have been happening in different metro stations across China. The government has only really attached importance to these incidents after the deadly accident in Beijing.

What caused the serious accident at the Zoo Station? Some people attribute the accident to a bolt of the escalator. But no proof can be found that a bolt solely caused the accident. That means the escalator maker, as well as purchasing department and maintenance departments, should all be responsible for the accident.

Accident in Beijing under Limelight

After the accident in Beijing, several other escalator accidents were reported in different cities of China. On July 10, an escalator from Metro Line 4, in the Qinghu Station of Shenzhen, changed it direction, leading to several injuries. This escalator was made by CNIM, a French company. One day later, an escalator in the Caoyang Road Station, of Metro Line 4, in Shanghai, suddenly stopped during the rush hour. The problematic escalator also comes from Otis.

Recently, the government has begun some oversight measures. The ministry of Railway now requires the Railway Administration Departments make an overall checks of the escalators and elevators in the public places within their areas. This type of monitoring is clearly needed, since, according to statistical data of recent years, about 40 escalator and elevator accidents happened every year, leading to over 40 deaths or injuries. In the year of 2011, the number of escalator and elevator accidents is larger than ever before.

Before the accident in Beijing, another accident was under heavy scrutiny. On December 14, 2010, an escalator in Guomao Station of Shenzhen suddenly changed direction, injuring 25 people. Both escalators are products of Otis and both accidents are said to be caused by a loose bolt.

However, the accident in Shenzhen did not cause any governmental reaction the safety of escalators. Only when the same accident happened in Beijing, the capital of China, and killed a young boy, did the government began to pay attention to the mounting issue.

On July 7, Zhang Juming, deputy director of Beijing Municipal Quality Supervision Department, announced that the accident was caused by a defect of Otis’ 513MPE escalator’s design. It also stated Otis didn’t take enough measures in service and maintenance. Therefore, Otis should be responsible for the accident. The State Administration of Quality Inspection issued an emergent notice on July 10, requiring all the cities to stop using the Otis 513MPE escalator. They also required cities with current 513MPE’s to overhaul their current systems, examine and remove all safety concerns of for escalators.

In response to the continuous escalator and elevator accidents, a director of Otis says, “We cannot classify the accidents in Beijing and Shenzhen as the same kind. No confirmation has been gained and the reasons of accidents cannot be simply concluded as defects of products. The problematic escalator in Beijing was made in Guangzhou while the one in Shenzhen was made in Tianjin.” The director also says it is impracticable to recall the other escalators and elevators that may have problems because they have already become a part of the construction.

Defects in Industry Chain

The frequent accidents of escalators and elevators placed the manufacturers under heavy scrutiny. The real root of the issue lies beyond that of the manufactures, it lies in the lack of detailed rules about these facilities or the national security standards for the escalators and elevators in China.

“80% of the escalator and elevator accidents are related with the insufficient servicing and maintenance. This is because there are no uniformed standards in checking, servicing and updating,” says Peng Jinsheng, an expert in escalator and elevator in Beijing. According to him, the number of escalators and elevators in Beijing is increasing 20% every year, and many escalators and elevators are under overtime service.

It is reported that many property management agencies entrust the servicing and maintenance of escalators and elevators to the third party, instead of the manufacturers, in order to save the cost. For example, the maintenance of an elevator by manufacturers usually costs 7,000-10,000 yuan but the maintenance by third party only costs 3,000 yuan.

After the accident in Beijing, Zhang Lexiang, deputy secretary-general from the China Association of Escalator and Elevator said that some metro management and operation companies in China install escalators that are only approved for shopping malls. These escalators are cheaper than the ones suitable for metro stations and often cannot withstand the huge number of travelers in and out of metro stations, especially during rush hour.

The metro management and operation companies from Beijing and Guangzhou all stated that the escalators in the metro stations under their management are approved for metro stations use.

Experts point out that the large population in China might requires modifications to the escalators in China to have larger accommodation than the foreign countries. Unfortunately, China is far behind the developed countries in the standard of escalators. For example, the latest standard for escalators and elevators in European Union has a new clause about the arrester, additional arrester and decelerator. But China has no such rules.

Who to Be Blamed?

After the accident in Beijing, all the relevant companies and organizations are busy rereading their responsibilities. No company or organization has yet to admit to responsibility for this deadly accident. China has a history of poor management of public security accidents. Organizations involved are constantly shifting their responsibilities to other groups in order to find a “scapegoat” for said incidents.

After the accident, the metro management and operation company in Beijing said that it gave 30,000 yuan in compensation to the family of the dead boy. However, on July 8^th, the family of the boy said that they have yet to reach an agreement with any company regarding compensation. On the same day, Otis, which is headquartered in the U.S., had already sent an Austrian expert to conduct surveys about its products in China. Right now, the company has not received any claims about compensation.

But compensation and apologies are not enough, said a report by Xinhua News Agency. Organizations responsible for the accident should be further punished. The Xinhua News Agency said in their report that the responsible enterprises and organizations should be greatly penalized and fined huge amounts in compensation. In addition, they should be required to recall the problematic elevators and escalators. If the elevators and escalators caused injuries or even deaths, the companies or organizations should then have a criminal trial.

“Only when the companies and organizations know their irresponsibility and malpractice could bring a lot of damage to others, can those accidents could be stopped.”