Death fall escalator 'flawed'
Source: Xinhua/Shanghai Daily |
July 8, 2011, Friday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
The escalator which malfunctioned in Beijing, leaving one dead and 30 injured, had flaws in its design and manufacture, and its producer OTIS should be held accountable, local authorities said yesterday.
The accident happened on Tuesday morning when a rising escalator, type OTIS 513 MPE, suddenly changed direction at the A exit of the Zoo Station on Line 4 subway.
An initial investigation showed that the accident was caused by flaws in OTIS's design and manufacture. It also had something to do with the fact that the producer's maintenance was not thorough enough, said Zhang Juming, deputy chief of Beijing's Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
The accident happened when a component malfunction led to the sudden loosening of the escalator's drive chain, according to a statement released by the Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
The escalator, produced by OTIS, the world's largest escalator producer, was still in the guarantee period and the manufacturer completed a routine check on June 22.
The escalator's protection mechanism that was supposed to prevent such a sudden backward movement did not work, said a spokesman of Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has asked all the users of OTIS 513 MPE escalators in China to suspend their operation and have the producer check them before they can be reused, Zhang said.
A similar accident happened in Shenzhen City in December 2010 when an OTIS 513 MPE suddenly moved backward and 25 people were injured.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, an Otis elevator in an office building in Xuhui District suddenly dropped from the fourth floor yesterday, trapping more than 10 people. No one was hurt.
The accident happened at around noon when office workers were heading out for lunch. The elevator began its drop from the fourth floor, and its door would not open after it hit the ground.
A witness, surnamed Zhang, who was in the elevator at that time, said: "I just felt like falling downstairs."
There were about 15 people inside, and most of them fell to the floor after the elevator hit the ground.
Work safety officials have launched an investigation.
The accident happened on Tuesday morning when a rising escalator, type OTIS 513 MPE, suddenly changed direction at the A exit of the Zoo Station on Line 4 subway.
An initial investigation showed that the accident was caused by flaws in OTIS's design and manufacture. It also had something to do with the fact that the producer's maintenance was not thorough enough, said Zhang Juming, deputy chief of Beijing's Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
The accident happened when a component malfunction led to the sudden loosening of the escalator's drive chain, according to a statement released by the Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
The escalator, produced by OTIS, the world's largest escalator producer, was still in the guarantee period and the manufacturer completed a routine check on June 22.
The escalator's protection mechanism that was supposed to prevent such a sudden backward movement did not work, said a spokesman of Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine has asked all the users of OTIS 513 MPE escalators in China to suspend their operation and have the producer check them before they can be reused, Zhang said.
A similar accident happened in Shenzhen City in December 2010 when an OTIS 513 MPE suddenly moved backward and 25 people were injured.
Meanwhile, in Shanghai, an Otis elevator in an office building in Xuhui District suddenly dropped from the fourth floor yesterday, trapping more than 10 people. No one was hurt.
The accident happened at around noon when office workers were heading out for lunch. The elevator began its drop from the fourth floor, and its door would not open after it hit the ground.
A witness, surnamed Zhang, who was in the elevator at that time, said: "I just felt like falling downstairs."
There were about 15 people inside, and most of them fell to the floor after the elevator hit the ground.
Work safety officials have launched an investigation.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
