AOT Forms Committee to Probe Walkway Incident

[snoop1130]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - Airports of Thailand (AOT) has established a committee to investigate a recent incident involving a moving walkway at one of its airports, which resulted in a severe injury to a passenger’s leg.

 

The committee, made up of representatives from the Ministry of Transport, the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT), the Engineers Council, Siam Hitachi Company and the victim’s family members, has been tasked with completing the investigation within 15 days.

 

The incident took place on June 29 when the passenger fell on one of the airport’s travelators, severely injuring her left leg. In response, AOT Director Kerati Kijmanawat announced that the committee would evaluate the possibility of replacing moving walkways that are over 20 to 25 years old at all six AOT airports, namely Don Mueang, Suvarnabhumi, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Hat Yai and Mae Fah Luang-Chiang Rai.

 

In the wake of the incident, all 20 moving walkways at Don Mueang Airport have been temporarily suspended from service. The walkways will gradually resume operation following a thorough inspection and necessary upgrades, a process estimated to take around one month.

 

Acknowledging that some of the travelators are over 27 years old, Director Kerati emphasized that maintenance had been conducted on them on a regular basis. However, he noted that the committee would consider replacing those older than 15-20 years and explore the adoption of new technologies, such as sensors, to enhance safety measures.

 

The superintendent of the Don Mueang police, Pol Col Adirek Tongkeamkeaw, meanwhile reported that investigators are currently questioning individuals involved in the case while awaiting the results of forensic tests. The airport’s CCTV footage is also being reviewed to determine if the accident was caused by negligence.

 

#news

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG230703125836352

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2023-07-03

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Ahhh.... the good ole' Thai tried and true "form a committee" to investigate response...

 

Every time any part of officialdom does that here...which they invariably do without fail in response to public controversies, you can bet most of the time that's the last you'll ever hear on the subject from them.

 

Though this one may be particularly hard for them to put to bed, as it involves infrastructure so widely and prominently used by the public.

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[webfact]

Police call on Don Mueang Airport to make CCTV footage of freak escalator walk accident available
by James Morris and Son Nguyen

 

The son of the 57-year-old woman named Ms Supannie Kittiratana who is being treated in a sterile environment at Bumrungrad Hospital, said that his mother was suffering mentally from the shock and trauma of what happened to her and was receiving psychiatric care.

Police investigating the shocking incident last Thursday at Don Mueang International Airport in which a 57-year-old woman lost the bottom half of her left leg on an automatic walkway escalator appealed, on Tuesday, for the airport’s authorities to hand over CCTV footage of the accident as officers try to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the freak occurrence in which the woman’s legs become enmeshed in the device.

 

Following a conference on Tuesday between investigators at Don Mueang Police Station, the Superintendent, Police Colonel Adirek Thongkaemkaew made the appeal noting that, in the past, airport authorities had always cooperated promptly and even now, the case may not be delayed. Last week, the Prime Minister’s Office highlighted the case as of major importance to the kingdom and its foreign tourism economy at this time while calling for a rigorous enquiry.

 

Full story: https://www.thaiexaminer.com/thai-news-foreigners/2023/07/04/police-seek-cctv-tape-of-escalator-left-leg-accident-don-mueang-airport/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Examiner 2023-07-04

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Airports of Thailand (AOT) has established a committee

It doesn't need a committee, it needs a maintenance regime and a team that does it's job.

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Acknowledging that some of the travelators are over 27 years old, Director Kerati emphasized that maintenance had been conducted on them on a regular basis. However, he noted that the committee would consider replacing those older than 15-20 years and explore the adoption of new technologies, such as sensors, to enhance safety measures.

Amazing.

[Bim Smith]

You need a committee for this. Will the conclusion be that no one was to blame as all others where examined and deemed fit for purpose therefore no one to blame just an accident and no one lose face. Truth is that airport is on its last legs and no amount face-lifting will change that without major investment. 

[1duckyboy]

So the RTP still haven't received the requested CCTV footage of the incident. I sense where this is going, nowhere. 

[DUNROAMIN]

The norm here, first maintenance check in 25 years, well done. 

Our local Big C went into panic mode and shut down its elevator stairs for maintenance.

[1happykamper]

First step in Thailand to ensure FA will come of this... form a committee. 

[newnative]

Oh, goody, a committee!   Always the first step in making sure the fault is spread around multiple departments so, in the end, nobody is held accountable.  

[Bangkok Barry]

43 minutes ago, Bim Smith said:

Truth is that airport is on its last legs and no amount face-lifting will change that without major investment. 

Please explain how it is 'on its last legs'. In what way? It's hard to believe you've used it, if you can make a declaration like that.

[Bangkok Barry]

28 minutes ago, DUNROAMIN said:

The norm here, first maintenance check in 25 years, well done. 

They are maintained regularly, with the errant walkway checked a few days before the incident. One report said the night before. How thorough they check none of us have any way of knowing, but to say they haven't been maintained for 25 years is ridiculous.

[mikebell]

The walkways will have been maintained as well as Thai-owned cars are.

[Smokey and the Bandit]

1 hour ago, 1duckyboy said:

So the RTP still haven't received the requested CCTV footage of the incident. I sense where this is going, nowhere. 

I saw that in the BP, I wonder why they are stalling, if they have nothing to hide?

[klauskunkel]

Quote

AOT Forms Committee

Prognosis: there will be lunches

[Mr Meeseeks]

Was a proper incident investigation conducted to establish the root causes?

If an investigation was conducted, was the investigation conducted by a qualified individual or individuals (Kelvin Top Set trained or equivalent)?

Does the airport have a health and safety management system with a safety policy? Are all staff aware of the safety policy?

Does the airport have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment that highlights the hazards of using travelators, the people that could be harmed, control measures applied and the inherent and residual risks?

As part of a suitable and sufficient site risk assessment, have failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) been conducted on the travelators to ensure the risks are reduced to a minimum as reasonably practicable?

Has the safety management system, risk assessments, other critical documents and the implementation of them been independently verified by a competent third-party?

 

I could go on, but I would wager the answer to most if not all of the above is no, and that health and safety culture at the airport terminal building is woefully inadequate. 

[Mr Meeseeks]

2 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

They are maintained regularly, with the errant walkway checked a few days before the incident. One report said the night before. How thorough they check none of us have any way of knowing, but to say they haven't been maintained for 25 years is ridiculous.

They should be using checklists, electronic or paper based, to perform proper checks on the equipment as per a written procedure that refers to manufacturer's requirements as well as national and international standards. This task will form part of their periodic maintenance schedule. It should be computer based, but what are the bets that they are still using Excel or some other antiquated way of doing it?

 

There should be reports kept of when the inspection and any maintenance work was performed and who was responsible. As there were teeth missing from the travelator, it is evident that the inspection was not done correctly.

 

And herein lies the problem. Low paid staff without adequate supervision or management will inevitably just turn these tasks into a box ticking exercise and not do them properly. 

 

An anecdote for you, I set up a CMMS, computerised maintenance management system, for a Thai company that operates offshore. As Ops Manager it was part of my remit. The system worked great, and was such an improvement over the Excel based system the company used before that the external bodies loved it. It saved money and time, increased efficiency and kept everything ticking along smoothly, reducing equipment failures even in the short term.

To stop employees treating inspection and maintenance as a box ticking exercise I personally supervised tasks, and when I could not, I requested photographic proof through the system that these tasks were done. Rarely, if ever, did the staff provide these proofs. I found them sleeping on the job, skiving off, watching porn on the computers etc. 

 

I also had third-parties, including OEM, come in to perform additional inspections, at a cost, and to the chagrin of the greedy Thai Chairman and the owner of the company. This was the only way I could ensure our critical equipment was going to work properly as and when required.

 

When I left, within days, I heard the company had gone back to using an antiquated Excel based system. The facility supervisor also left, after a falling out with 'management' as a direct result of maintenance issues.

 

Thais simply don't care about inspection and maintenance. It costs money, and they don't want to have the headache of dealing with it until it breaks. 

[superal]

11 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

Was a proper incident investigation conducted to establish the root causes?

If an investigation was conducted, was the investigation conducted by a qualified individual or individuals (Kelvin Top Set trained or equivalent)?

Does the airport have a health and safety management system with a safety policy? Are all staff aware of the safety policy?

Does the airport have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment that highlights the hazards of using travelators, the people that could be harmed, control measures applied and the inherent and residual risks?

As part of a suitable and sufficient site risk assessment, have failure mode effects analysis (FMEA) been conducted on the travelators to ensure the risks are reduced to a minimum as reasonably practicable?

Has the safety management system, risk assessments, other critical documents and the implementation of them been independently verified by a competent third-party?

 

I could go on, but I would wager the answer to most if not all of the above is no, and that health and safety culture at the airport terminal building is woefully inadequate. 

Your comments are not outrageous and should not alarm A.O.T. but in this case it may well do .

It should be that all worldwide international airports would comply with an international standard of health & safety plus routine mechanical maintenance that would be subject to unannounced audits and without strict compliance , penalties of airport closure . Health & safety of passengers and airport staff should be top of the list of priorities before profits .

[Bangkok Barry]

59 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

They should be using checklists, electronic or paper based, to perform proper checks on the equipment as per a written procedure that refers to manufacturer's requirements as well as national and international standards. This task will form part of their periodic maintenance schedule. It should be computer based, but what are the bets that they are still using Excel or some other antiquated way of doing it?

You assume that none of what you say was done. There have been plenty of claims that regular and frequent maintenance takes place, and to international standards. You are assuming that isn't so, but with nothing than experience elsewhere in Thailand to back up your suggestion that the job wasn't done properly. Maybe it was, maybe not, but I don't know and neither do you.

 

1 hour ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

As there were teeth missing from the travelator, it is evident that the inspection was not done correctly.

In fact, they were dislodged by the woman's suitcase that she, according to her, tripped over as she prepared to leave the walkway. - a suitcase that should have been checked in and not taken to the plane. But the check-in desk don't care. If they had done their job then the woman would still have her leg. Even if she did self check-in, there are always staff there monitoring and ready to help anyone having a problem, who should have told her to check the suitcase in. Should the travelator have broken? I'm not an engineer so I don't know, but I do know that sometimes things break with no warning, no matter how well kept they are.

[sqwakvfr]

When Space Shuttle Challenger blew up on take a committe was formed.  When an aircraft crashes an investigative team is dispatched to determine the cause.  When a people mover/escalator causes an accident that results in a serious injury one or two experts in the field should be able to figure it out.  

[Frankie baby]

I wonder what happens when the CCTV goes missing?

[terryq]

4 minutes ago, Frankie baby said:

I wonder what happens when the CCTV goes missing?

The committee will set up a sub-committee to investigate.

 

 

[jaideedave]

5 hours ago, Bim Smith said:

You need a committee for this. Will the conclusion be that no one was to blame as all others where examined and deemed fit for purpose therefore no one to blame just an accident and no one lose face. Truth is that airport is on its last legs and no amount face-lifting will change that without major investment. 

It's very important that this incident gets swept under the carpet before blame can be administered.I see there is a delay in the police obtaining the video footage? TIT

It will be very interesting to see the monetary value they put on this poor woman's leg.

Pain and suffering and psychiatric counseling.

Hitachi is a huge corporation so will be lawyered up.

[jaideedave]

4 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

They are maintained regularly, with the errant walkway checked a few days before the incident. One report said the night before. How thorough they check none of us have any way of knowing, but to say they haven't been maintained for 25 years is ridiculous.

Perhaps a visual inspection by Somchai as he rode it on the way for a break.

[Moonlover]

5 hours ago, Bim Smith said:

You need a committee for this.

Forming a 'committee' to investigate incidents like this is standard practice worldwide , although we in the western world are more inclined to call them 'Boards of Inquiry'. There's no difference in my book.

 

 

[Mr Meeseeks]

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

You assume that none of what you say was done. There have been plenty of claims that regular and frequent maintenance takes place, and to international standards. You are assuming that isn't so, but with nothing than experience elsewhere in Thailand to back up your suggestion that the job wasn't done properly. Maybe it was, maybe not, but I don't know and neither do you.

I assume nothing.

 

Based on experience of 30+ years working in Thailand at management level, I am willing to bet that there isn't a culture of safety at the airport terminal building. 

 

The minimum will be done to ensure the boxes are ticked. 

 

Let me in there to have an audit, and we'll find out! ????

 

It will be the usual poor standard of Thai auditing, too scared to give NCs so the client doesn't lose face or in case they anger the boss. A nonsense.

[Mr Meeseeks]

Then of course there's this:

 

 

[Bangkok Barry]

8 minutes ago, Mr Meeseeks said:

I assume nothing.

 

Based on experience of 30+ years working in Thailand at management level, I am willing to bet that there isn't a culture of safety at the airport terminal building. 

 

The minimum will be done to ensure the boxes are ticked. 

 

Let me in there to have an audit, and we'll find out! ????

 

It will be the usual poor standard of Thai auditing, too scared to give NCs so the client doesn't lose face or in case they anger the boss. A nonsense.

I'd guess you are more likely to be right than wrong.

[off road pat]

8 hours ago, hotchilli said:

It doesn't need a committee, it needs a maintenance regime and a team that does it's job.

Yes, but maintenance or the lack of it is just the problem in Thailand !!!

[khunPer]

Something might be strange, since AOT will not reveal the CCTV...