issue : 03. 2003

Recent years in Korea, escalators(moving walks) installed and operating in department stores·large discount store·grand shopping mall·subway stations have been increased rapidly but Customer Protection Board(hereunder refer to as CPB) pointed out that the safety supervision of those have been inattentive and this made people insecure greatly.
Last December, CPB(Dirctor Choi Gyu-Hak, http://www.cpb.or.kr) examined safety status of 200 units escalators and moving walks installed in 40 multiple usage facilities located in Seoul·Busan·Dae-gu·Kwang-ju·Dae-jon area and most of those examined are not conform to regulation and not properly supervised, so there are always possibility of accident.

60.6% of examined objects have inoperative skirt guard safety switch
Look on the results from this examination conducted by CPB, the managing status of safety devices providing for accidents are as follows '60.6%(20 sites)' in 33 sites(exclude large discount store) have inoperative skirt guard safety switch for aborting operation of escalator under narrowness accident '27.5%(11 sites)' gaps between step and skirt guard are out of range '72.5%(29 sites)' plates of step and comb are broken and never been repaired.

A protective action for child is insufficient
An protective action for child who have little abilities of self-protection and discernment is insufficient. Report sad '67.5%(27 sites)' notices and protections against builds and structures are not enough so possibilities of accidents are prevail, '32.5%(13 sites) solicitude about narrowness accidents around and intersection of escalator, '25%(10 sites)' there are no preventive measures for falling over both side of handrail.

A preventive action against accident is not enough
Also, '72.5%(29 sites) do not conduct notifying broadcast on entire build as a preventive action, '80.0%(32 sites) notices for user are not properly attached, According to result, preventive action against accident is not properly taken on escalator(include moving walk).

Obstacles around platform and fire shutter are neglected
Among 40 examined objects, '60.6%(20 sites) of 33 selling and business facilities bear possibility that users may fall and/or bump each other because of neglected obstacles around platform. Also, '30.3%(10 sites) among those 33 facilities have a chance that obstacles may block operation of fire shutter under fire.
CPB urged the organ concerned to reinforce inspection law on escalator(include moving walk), revise inspection law, improve compiling system of accidental instances, reform system of preventive action and requested user's attention.
The status of total number of installed escalator·moving walk is 10,027 units at the end of June.2002 and that reached 4.6% of gross number of lifts for passenger and freight. On the annual base, 1,758 units installed during 2000 and 1,179 units installed the next year, 32.8% of all installed units are placed after 2000.
1996 and 1997 respectively increased 1 thousand units level, pick on IMF, 1998 and 1999 increased 697 units and 709 units individually, but in 2000, installation supplies went beyond 1 thousand units again. The causes of those are analyzed as follows, after IMF period, apart from domestic large discount stores, those from overseas such as Wallmart and Carrefour massively have entered into Korea and this created large-scale order.
As the total number of installed and operating lifts are over 217,300 units, the frequency of accidents are amplified. Total number of accidents from 1993 to this period were 183 cases, among these 34 cases were related to escalator and moving walk. Although only 4.6% of all lifts, accidents rate of escalator and moving walk is outrage 18.5%, so it is very urgent to take appropriate measures.
For more information, contact Customer Protection Board(CPB), at phone : +82-2-3460-3483 or on the internet(www.cpb.or.kr).
■ By D.S.Park / dspark@liftasia.com