Citywide checks after woman becomes trapped in moving escalator
Fire rescue workers try to free the woman after she became trapped in the escalator.
Market regulators across the city have launched a monthlong intensive campaign to remove potential safety hazards of escalators and automatic moving sidewalks.
The campaign was launched after a woman became trapped in a moving escalator at a supermarket in Fengxian District last week.
Officials are inspecting escalators in use across the city one by one, checking whether the steps or floor have potential risks of slipping, whether safety protection installations work, and whether escalator maintenance and repair units and testing agencies are performing their duties strictly based on relevant safety technical standards and requirements, according to the Shanghai Administration for Market Regulation.
Market watchdogs across the city have also ordered operators and maintenance companies of escalators to conduct self-examinations and immediately stop the operation of any escalators with safety hazards.
Officials in Huangpu District check the surface of a moving sidewalk.
As of last night, 4,112 of the 26,000 escalators and moving sidewalks in venues including supermarkets, Metro stations, and office buildings in the city had been checked, according to the administration.
A total of 105 problems were spotted and their operators were instructed to fix them immediately.
Officials said those found with violations would be subject to severe punishment.
Officials in Jing'an District check the technical files of an escalator.
On April 4, the woman stepped onto an empty step of the escalator and fell through a gap to her waist, at the Wanjiafu Supermarket.
The escalator continued to move as the woman shouted for help until a man passing by pressed the emergency button to stop the escalator.
Fire rescue staff of Nanqiao Town arrived at the scene quickly but had difficulty releasing the woman due to the escalator's complicated structure.
It took them more than 30 minutes to finally extract the woman after which she was rushed to hospital.
The woman is still in the intensive care unit and faces the possibility of requiring an amputation.
A market regulator in Qingpu District makes a patrol stop.
