Concerns over escalator safety continue to grow in China after three horrific accidents occurred in one week.
In the latest incident, a cleaner in a Shanghai shopping mall had to have his leg amputated after it became trapped in a moving escalator.
The 35-year-old cleaner, surnamed Zhang, was cleaning the top of the escalator with a mop when the metal plate at the top of the machine suddenly collapsed underneath him, trapping his left leg.
From his hospital bed, Zhang told local media he felt the escalator shudder just before the plate broke beneath him and added that the machine kept running even after his leg became caught in it and didn’t stop until he pressed the emergency stop button himself.
The escalator had reportedly passed an annual inspection in June.
Cloud Nine Shopping Mall in downtown Shanghai’s Zhongshan Park has begun absolving itself of responsibility, saying that Zhang used “improper” methods to clean the escalator by using both feet to stand on cleaning equipment, causing the mop to get stuck in a crack between the steps, which resulted in the plate’s collapse. Contrary to Zhang’s account, the mall said the escalator automatically stopped when the mop got stuck.
The incident, which was caught by a security camera, is still being investigated.
Warning: The footage makes for disturbing viewing.
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The local watchdog, Shanghai Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau, has also placed blame on the victim, saying the incident was caused by a “violation of operation regulations” because the escalator should have been switched off before being cleaned.
The Shanghai incident occurred a week after the plate at the top of an escalator in Hubei broke beneath a woman, killing her. Security camera footage showed that the woman was able to throw her young son to safety before she fell into the moving machine.
Staff at the mall apparently discovered the plate was loose shortly before the woman got on the escalator, but had failed to turn the machine off.
A few days later, a toddler’s arm was caught in an escalator in Guangxi.
China recorded 49 escalator accidents in 2014, resulting in 37 deaths, reports the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (GAQSIQ).
According to People’s Daily:
“The GAQSIQ's latest report said over 110,000 of [China's 2.4 million escalators] have potential safety issues, with nearly 79,000 escalators repaired and over 5,000 no longer in use. However, more than 26,000 escalators have not yet been repaired, the report said.
Following widespread public anger, the central government has ordered all provincial governments to inspect escalators in every mall and ensure they are safe by August 10.
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