Guards Questioned on BTS Escalator Injuries

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK, Aug 23 (TNA) – Police questioned the security guards who were on duty when nearly 40 people were injured on the escalator of the BTS electric railway’s Surasak station.

 

Pol Maj Gen Jirasant Kaewsaeng-ek, spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said representatives of BTS and its escalator supplier met police for interrogation at the Yannawa police station yesterday.

 

They testified on the systems of the escalator and the electric train station, he said while refusing to elaborate.

 

Full Story: https://tna.mcot.net/english-news-1003258

 

-- © Copyright Thai News Agency 2022-08-23

 

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[Chelseafan]

Well what the hell happened then?  A crush?? 

Edited August 23, 2022 by Chelseafan

[Bangkok Barry]

I love the security guards manning the entrance to MRT stations who shine their torch at your closed bag for about a second.

[Xonax]

Where is the STOP-button to be used in case of emergency????

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Pol Maj Gen Jirasant Kaewsaeng-ek, spokesman of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said representatives of BTS and its escalator supplier met police for interrogation at the Yannawa police station yesterday

Hmmm.

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, Chelseafan said:

Well what the hell happened then?  A crush?? 

Yes.

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Xonax said:

Where is the STOP-button to be used in case of emergency????

At the bottom?

[hotchilli]

3 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

I love the security guards manning the entrance to MRT stations who shine their torch at your closed bag for about a second.

You mean those horrendously expensive X-ray torches purchased for this very reason.

[norbra]

Most probably a slack drive chain slipping on drive sprocket with the result being 2 ton of people ending in a heap at the bottom 

There are easy chain adjustments to prevent this from happening

Edited August 24, 2022 by norbra

[kingstonkid]

This has nothing to do with faulty equipment or the lack of expertise of guards.  It has everything to do a large number of cattle stampeding to a system that requires order.  By the time security realize there is a problem it is too late.

 

Only solution is install a panic button in the ticket office 

[norbra]

46 minutes ago, kingstonkid said:

This has nothing to do with faulty equipment or the lack of expertise of guards.  It has everything to do a large number of cattle stampeding to a system that requires order.  By the time security realize there is a problem it is too late.

 

Only solution is install a panic button in the ticket office 

40 people on an escalator is not an overload or dangerous under nomal operating conditions 

 

[khunjeff]

The only useful thing the guards typically do is escorting blind passengers. Other than that, they just strut around self-importantly and blow whistles loudly whenever someone's foot approaches the yellow line, even at stations with platform screen doors.

 

In this case, it's pretty obvious from the video what happened: the escalator was operating normally, but there was such a crush of people at the top (whether due to the inadequate number of turnstiles or people stopping to buy tickets, I don't know) that eventually the crowd moving inexorably upward ran into a wall of people and fell backwards.

 

What we don't know is whether the only emergency stop button was on the escalator itself, or if there's a remote shutoff switch somewhere else. In either case, it's pretty clear that the station employees were not adequately monitoring the situation. 

[norbra]

11 hours ago, khunjeff said:

The only useful thing the guards typically do is escorting blind passengers. Other than that, they just strut around self-importantly and blow whistles loudly whenever someone's foot approaches the yellow line, even at stations with platform screen doors.

 

In this case, it's pretty obvious from the video what happened: the escalator was operating normally, but there was such a crush of people at the top (whether due to the inadequate number of turnstiles or people stopping to buy tickets, I don't know) that eventually the crowd moving inexorably upward ran into a wall of people and fell backwards.

 

What we don't know is whether the only emergency stop button was on the escalator itself, or if there's a remote shutoff switch somewhere else. In either case, it's pretty clear that the station employees were not adequately monitoring the situation. 

Can you please provide link to video 

Thanks

 

[VocalNeal]

11 hours ago, khunjeff said:

In this case, it's pretty obvious from the video what happened: the escalator was operating normally, but there was such a crush of people at the top (whether due to the inadequate number of turnstiles or people stopping to buy tickets, I don't know) that eventually the crowd moving inexorably upward ran into a wall of people and fell backwards.

Or stopped to buy a coffee , exchange some foreign currency or decided to get their hair cut or...

[actonion]

15 hours ago, norbra said:

40 people on an escalator is not an overload or dangerous under nomal operating conditions 

 

I'm sure  lack of  regular maintainace is a dangerous thing 

[phetphet]

16 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

This has nothing to do with faulty equipment or the lack of expertise of guards.  It has everything to do a large number of cattle stampeding to a system that requires order.  By the time security realize there is a problem it is too late.

 

Only solution is install a panic button in the ticket office 

Surely the escalators are designed to operate fully loaded plus a margin of overload. Could be lack of maintenance, or just a part failure. I wonder if they will publish the result of any investigation into the  cause.

[kingstonkid]

21 hours ago, norbra said:

40 people on an escalator is not an overload or dangerous under nomal operating conditions 

 

It is if they are not able to get off when they get to the top.  There had to be more people there than 40 to over crowd

[kingstonkid]

5 hours ago, phetphet said:

Surely the escalators are designed to operate fully loaded plus a margin of overload. Could be lack of maintenance, or just a part failure. I wonder if they will publish the result of any investigation into the  cause.

From what I read it was not the escalator that caused the problem but the number of people.  I think what is going to be found is that while the injuries were to people that were on and could not get off.

 

The problem I thought wsa that there were too many people and there was no where for them to go when they got off and could not get off.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 8/23/2022 at 6:08 PM, Chelseafan said:

Well what the hell happened then?  A crush?? 

Someone at the top of the escalator fell was what was originally reported. 

[Liverpool Lou]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:40 AM, Bangkok Barry said:

I love the security guards manning the entrance to MRT stations who shine their torch at your closed bag for about a second.

You let them look?

[Liverpool Lou]

On 8/24/2022 at 8:58 AM, Xonax said:

Where is the STOP-button to be used in case of emergency????

"Where is the STOP-button"

On the escalator but it only takes a second for a falling person (in this case) to inadvertently instigate chaos on a loaded, moving escalator, they can't be stopped instantly or without manual intervention.

Edited August 25, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

On 8/24/2022 at 12:14 PM, hotchilli said:

On 8/23/2022 at 6:08 PM, Chelseafan said:

Well what the hell happened then?  A crush?? 

Yes.

But after someone at the top fell, apparently.

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, norbra said:

Most probably a slack drive chain slipping on drive sprocket with the result being 2 ton of people ending in a heap at the bottom 

There are easy chain adjustments to prevent this from happening

Or a person at the top of the escalator falling as was actually reported.

[Liverpool Lou]

22 hours ago, kingstonkid said:

This has nothing to do with faulty equipment or the lack of expertise of guards.  It has everything to do a large number of cattle stampeding to a system that requires order.  By the time security realize there is a problem it is too late.

It was nothing to do with "a large number of cattle stampeding".  The contributory factor in this incident was someone at the top falling and others continuing up because it was a moving escalator and they could not do anything else!  As was originally reported.

[Liverpool Lou]

"Bangkok – BTS Skytrain released a statement regarding a reported malfunctioned escalator at BTS Surasak station on Saturday evening, August 20th, which injured nearly 30 people, stating that the accident was not caused by the malfunction but by overcrowding at the escalator.

Online footage that was shared widely on social media captures the moment when a large number of passengers were seen taking the escalator up to the Surasak Station to use the Skytrain service during heavy rain as of 6:38 PM. on Saturday, but some people at the top of the escalator seemed to lose their balance and caused others behind them to stumble and fall on top of one another".

 

https://thepattayanews.com/2022/08/21/accident-at-skytrain-station-not-caused-by-escalator-malfunction-but-by-overcrowding-according-to-bts-skytrains-statement/

[josephbloggs]

9 hours ago, actonion said:

I'm sure  lack of  regular maintainace is a dangerous thing 

Yes, it would be if that had anything to do with it at all, which it didn't.

Have you ever used the BTS?

Edited August 25, 2022 by josephbloggs

[kingstonkid]

17 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

It was nothing to do with "a large number of cattle stampeding".  The contributory factor in this incident was someone at the top falling and others continuing up because it was a moving escalator and they could not do anything else!  As was originally reported.

Again the issue is not the escalator it is the number of people on the escalator and the fact that they still keep coming.  

 

There is no chance that the guards or anyone can get to the escalator in time. However, if they have a panic button in the booth as soon as they notice a large number of people coming up or a problem they can automatically turn it off.  

 

It is in fact still the stampede adage.  If you have a roup of people moving in one direction in a small area and one person either stops or falls down the group keeps moving because it is.  It used to be the same thing at rock concerts when people at the front of the standing area were crushed because of the people behind them and the people behind them. 

[Andycoops]

The so called guards are untrained uneducated numpties who only skill is blowing a whistle.