Future Park Rangsit Boosts Safety After Escalator Accident

[ishan14]

1.)They are taking full responsibility of the incident (not running away and blaming the girl).

2.)They are willing to repair the stuff that is/maybe dangerous.

I think it's the best they can do because as it's already stated that, "There were no laws against installing escalators near or next to the deck of an upper floor, or near or adjacent to walls". So, Its pretty good , the way they are working things out.

[jshorts]

I see these dangerous pinch points at many malls, not to mention the ignored fire safety hazards, etc..

Where was the building inspector, job supervisor when this escalator was installed, approved & paid for I wonder?

Thailand has building inspectors?

[jshorts]

Good on the Future Park for acting as quick as they have, if they have, to fix the problems and offer to cover all medical costs.

Hope that is not an empty promise.

I believe that the actual medical costs/compensation would be covered by public liability insurance, so not actually by Future Park but a good public relations exercise by management claiming they will pay.

Thailand has public liability insurance?

[sunkist]

A terrible accident but this is a very rare and isolated incident; surely the daily risks of getting long hair caught up in wheels of motorcycles poses a far greater threat to the public? No amount of health & safety legislation will ever stop such random accidents. I'm sure negotiating a round about in Thailand poses far greater risk to ones health than using an escalator...

I recall as a very young boy, falling down an escalator because the emergency stop was activated - I wasn't holding the hand rail, the escalator came to a sudden stop and I fell nearly an entire level but was fortunately caught by a well placed shopper before hitting the metal plate at the bottom. It transpired that the elderly lady at the top regularly hit the stop because she didn't like disembarking a moving elevator!

I also recall an incident as a boy travelling back on the train after a school trip. One of our class decided to stick his head out of the window while we were moving along and with a loud crash, collapsed back into the carriage, blood pouring from his head, unconscious. Fortunately he was ok. To this day I'm not sure what he hit but clearly sticking your head out the window of a moving vehicle isn't conducive to personal safety and that lesson was learned loud and clear by the whole class!

I have been on escalators the world over and many have "pinch points", as by their very nature they traverse from one level to another. The vast majority of people negotiate them without incident, much like the vast majority of people survive crossing roads. I applaud Gentleman Jim's proactive response but in reality you just can't plan for every eventuality. Should we ban stairs because there's a very real risk that someone might trip and fall down them? Or perhaps ban long hair because it may get caught up in machinery, moving parts etc, I'm sure bald people are immune to such daily perils...

Clearly common sense measures to prevent injury and risk to personal safety are advisable but where we do we draw the line? The two biggest cause of accidental deaths, by far, are car crashes and accidental falls - accidental deaths caused by machinery make up a tiny fraction in comparison, c.0.5% of the numbers killed in car crashes annually. Surely in Thailand road safety is a much more pressing concern and should be the number one priority in increasing safety standards? So many daily incidents are so utterly avoidable with proper road safety awareness; a real driving test would be a simple, cost effective way to start.

Wishing the girl a speedy recovery and thoughts are with her family, especially her mum; I can't imagine what she must have gone through watching her own daughter caught up in such an unfortunate accident.

Like you described the escalator in your accident stopped. This one kept running and did more than pull her hair. That is one of the missing safety features or one that has been over-ridden. Escalators and elevators by Internationl Building Code must inspect and test prior to operation by a certified inspector....most places. Not sure about Thailand.

[Ferangled]

A terrible accident but this is a very rare and isolated incident; surely the daily risks of getting long hair caught up in wheels of motorcycles poses a far greater threat to the public? No amount of health & safety legislation will ever stop such random accidents. I'm sure negotiating a round about in Thailand poses far greater risk to ones health than using an escalator...

I recall as a very young boy, falling down an escalator because the emergency stop was activated - I wasn't holding the hand rail, the escalator came to a sudden stop and I fell nearly an entire level but was fortunately caught by a well placed shopper before hitting the metal plate at the bottom. It transpired that the elderly lady at the top regularly hit the stop because she didn't like disembarking a moving elevator!

I also recall an incident as a boy travelling back on the train after a school trip. One of our class decided to stick his head out of the window while we were moving along and with a loud crash, collapsed back into the carriage, blood pouring from his head, unconscious. Fortunately he was ok. To this day I'm not sure what he hit but clearly sticking your head out the window of a moving vehicle isn't conducive to personal safety and that lesson was learned loud and clear by the whole class!

I have been on escalators the world over and many have "pinch points", as by their very nature they traverse from one level to another. The vast majority of people negotiate them without incident, much like the vast majority of people survive crossing roads. I applaud Gentleman Jim's proactive response but in reality you just can't plan for every eventuality. Should we ban stairs because there's a very real risk that someone might trip and fall down them? Or perhaps ban long hair because it may get caught up in machinery, moving parts etc, I'm sure bald people are immune to such daily perils...

Clearly common sense measures to prevent injury and risk to personal safety are advisable but where we do we draw the line? The two biggest cause of accidental deaths, by far, are car crashes and accidental falls - accidental deaths caused by machinery make up a tiny fraction in comparison, c.0.5% of the numbers killed in car crashes annually. Surely in Thailand road safety is a much more pressing concern and should be the number one priority in increasing safety standards? So many daily incidents are so utterly avoidable with proper road safety awareness; a real driving test would be a simple, cost effective way to start.

Wishing the girl a speedy recovery and thoughts are with her family, especially her mum; I can't imagine what she must have gone through watching her own daughter caught up in such an unfortunate accident.

Like you described the escalator in your accident stopped. This one kept running and did more than pull her hair. That is one of the missing safety features or one that has been over-ridden. Escalators and elevators by Internationl Building Code must inspect and test prior to operation by a certified inspector....most places. Not sure about Thailand.

Actually my point was that these manual emergency stop buttons are easily misused and I'd hazard a guess that they cause more injuries through falls created as a result of their use than they prevent. Falling is the 2nd highest cause of accidental death, accidental deaths as a result of machinery are incredibly rare.

[Sayonarax]

I see these dangerous pinch points at many malls, not to mention the ignored fire safety hazards, etc..

Where was the building inspector, job supervisor when this escalator was installed, approved & paid for I wonder?

Thailand has building inspectors?

Apparently it has ass-clowns too.

[Ferangled]

I see these dangerous pinch points at many malls, not to mention the ignored fire safety hazards, etc..

Where was the building inspector, job supervisor when this escalator was installed, approved & paid for I wonder?

Thailand has building inspectors?

Apparently it has ass-clowns too.

Yes indeed, commonly known as politicians. Thailand also has building health & safety inspectors, who are generally either paid off or bullied to not interfere with construction and potentially cause delays/ costs while attempting to ensure a safe working environment.

Many of these inspectors are Farang, who are employed to satisfy the "appearance of safety concern" but pointedly ignored and marginalised because evidently the stupid Kwai have no idea that the lives of immigrant Burmese workers are not worth saving.

Scaffold checks? Hard hat & boots? Hi Vis? Risk assessments? Pah, mai pen rai... Much better to lose a few workers as collateral damage (most are illegal and can easily be wiped from the books so as not to appear on any statistics) to ensure that the project finishes on time and bonuses are paid to the Thai management.

Yes, I am talking from experience in the construction industry here though thankfully only as an impartial witness to other Farang bashing their heads against the walls in these unenviable positions.