Nationwide checks on escalators after deadly accident
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Xinhua, July 10, 2011
China's top quality supervisor reiterated Saturday that all regions across the country should learn a lesson from the deadly accident inside the Beijing Metro system and examine the safety situation of escalators during the summer travel season.
The statement by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ) came four days after an escalator malfunction killed one child and injured 30 others inside a metro station in downtown Beijing on Tuesday. ( Escalators are prone to accidents and malfunctions during the peak summer travel season when a huge number of travelers use subways, bus stations and airports across the country, the AQSIQ said in the statement.
Local quality supervision departments must enhance their supervision and inspections on the escalator manufacturers, assemblers and maintenance workers.
Those who sacrifice the quality of escalator maintenance to cut costs will be severely punished, the AQSIQ warned.
The AQSIQ issued a similar decree on March 25, calling for improved safety inspections on escalators and travolaters.
The Beijing municipal quality supervision bureau said Thursday that OTIS, the manufacturer of the escalator inside the metro system, has flaws in its design and manufacture and should be held accountable.
The accident occurred Tuesday morning when a rising escalator, type OTIS 513 MPE, suddenly backslid at the Zoo Station on subway line 4.
An initial investigation shows that a component malfunction led to the sudden loosening of the escalator's drive chain.
The AQSIQ has ordered the suspension of use of OTIS 513 MPE escalators in China.
A similar accident happened in the city of Shenzhen of southern Guangdong Province in December 2010 when an OTIS escalator suddenly moved backward and injured 25 people.
