Is this really a big fuss?, Passengers stay in place for 20 minutes, go on hot search! Escalator suddenly stops working. Elevator | Escalator | Passengers
Recently, the escalator in a shopping mall in another province suddenly stopped running, and passengers who were still on the elevator stayed in place for 20 minutes. There are different opinions among netizens regarding the passenger's approach. Some believe caution is better, while others believe that making a mountain out of a molehill. So, "The escalator suddenly stopped operating and passengers stayed in place for 20 minutes" became a hot topic. So, if the escalator suddenly stops working, can we actually move around?
"It is not wrong for passengers to handle the shutdown of escalators with caution, but in general, they can hold onto the escalator handrails, see the steps clearly, and evacuate in an orderly manner." Senior engineer and Deputy Director of the Elevator Inspection Institute of Shanghai Special Equipment Supervision and Inspection Technology Research Institute, Chang Xiaoqing, gave advice.
He stated that the sudden shutdown of the running escalator may be caused by various reasons, such as accidentally touching the emergency stop switch, the armrest entry protection switch acting, foreign objects getting stuck on the steps, etc., which need to be inspected by professional maintenance personnel. But what can be basically confirmed is that the sudden shutdown triggered the safety protection device of the escalator, and the escalator ensures that there is no greater risk by stopping. In this case, without human intervention, the escalator will not start on its own again, so passengers on the escalator can evacuate in an orderly manner.
On the contrary, if passengers are required to remain stationary, when external forces intervene to restart the escalator, the impact force and inertia generated during operation may actually cause passengers staying on the elevator to stand unsteadily, increasing the risk of falling and other accidents.
It should be noted that when passengers evacuate from a malfunctioning escalator, it is not recommended to use the malfunctioning escalator as a pedestrian walkway. Except for professionals, it is not recommended to step on the stairs again.
"It should be noted that passengers are not recommended to walk on the escalator except for evacuation needs." Chang Xiaoqing said that the height of the escalator steps is about 24 centimeters, while the normal stairs are about 15 to 18 centimeters. It can be seen that the elevator steps are much higher than the normal stairs, making walking more difficult and dangerous. In addition, escalators are generally narrow, and if passengers move, they may rub against others, increasing the risk of scratching and falling.
Regarding the interpretation by some netizens that "the automatic elevator cannot move after being shut down because the bottom of some pedals may be empty and passengers may experience 'elevator swallowing' when passing," Chang Xiaoqing believes that it is not in line with the current situation: "Usually, sudden shutdown is due to the safety protection device of the elevator, and the elevator structure has not changed. If the elevator pedal causes a malfunction, it is generally visible to the naked eye, which is why we remind passengers to hold onto the handle and pay attention to their feet when evacuating."
He believes that when encountering elevator malfunctions, the first thing to do is to stay calm. For example, passengers on the escalator should not panic and can temporarily stay in place, observe and understand the surrounding environment and elevator conditions, and then evacuate in an orderly and slow manner.
