Thursday's freak mishap at the City Center Mall in Banjara Hills has brought to the fore the safety of visitors using escalators in malls and multiplexes and the measures taken by managements to avoid such incidents.
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A four-month-old infant died instantly after she slipped and fell from her mother's arms after the latter's dress got caught in the escalator.
While mall managements maintain that enough precautions were taken for using escalators safely, many complain of laxity on the management's part to educate visitors on using them effectively.
Such is the apathy of some managements that they tend to ignore servicing of escalators periodically.
Manufacturers put up escalators with one-year warranty from the date of installation.
Periodical servicing and maintenance would be taken care of during this period by manufacturers.
“After the warranty expires, several owners fail to enter into maintenance agreements. If proper maintenance is not done, then escalators pose danger to users,” explains V.Y.L.N. Murthy, an expert in elevators.
The worrisome aspect at these establishments is the absence of maintenance staff to stop the escalator in an emergency situation like a sari or any other dress material getting stuck in the step teeth-mesh.
Each escalator has a switch-off button to be used in case of an emergency. A trained person has to be posted to oversee these operations.
But most malls ignore this safety aspect, Mr. Murthy argues.
Precautions overlooked
On the other hand, mall owners point out that visitors often overlook the safety precautions which are displayed at the escalator. “It's not feasible for us to keep track of every individual using the escalator. They can read the safety measures displayed on the balustrade before stepping onto the escalator,” points out an official of the City Center Mall, where the mishap took place on Thursday.
However, a few mall managements seem to have learnt a lesson from Thursday's incident.
At many malls they put up warning signs and boards to caution those using escalators.
“We have also instructed security guards to monitor people, particularly women and children, who use escalators,” says Amarnath Singh, manager of Home Centre Lifestyle at Somajiguda.
The Banjara Hills police feel there is no negligence on the part of the mall
The baby's mother was about to step on to the escalator to go to the upper floor when one end of her dress got stuck in the teeth-mesh. As the mother lost her balance, the baby slipped from her arms and fell from over 15 feet.
Management's claim
The City Center mall management regretted the death of the baby on their premises. “It's an unfortunate incident. Despite taking safety steps, the incident happened,” it says.
An action plan would be chalked out in coordination with the owners of other malls in the city to avert such incidents. All the safety measures were taken in the five-storeyed mall, the management claimed.
