Fall from escalator’s deck guard opening
A young child fell from the deck opening of an escalator which was on the second floor. The incident happened on 7 July 2011 in one of the government buildings in Putrajaya.The escalator is in the down direction from the second to the first floor. Before the mishap he was playing somewhere adjacent to the deck guard and the handrail of the escalator which was in operation.
The deceased parents brought him along with the other two siblings. They were left unattended when their parents were busily submitting their applications to the authority.
He fell down when he was caught in between the moving handrail and the deck guard which has an opening. The opening from the deck guard to the balustrade was measured and found to be between 236mm and 250mm.
One of his slippers was found lying on the building beam between the second and the first floor. He fell from the second floor to the ground floor. He died in hospital.
Safety recommendations:
- Ensure that the gap between the deck guard and the balustrade of the escalator will not pose a hazard which can cause a person to be trapped and pulled down by the directional movement of the escalator’s handrail.
- Clear safety signage to be displayed to warn of the danger of playing near to the escalators.
- The children cannot be left unattended nearby the escalators by their parents.
