6 Steps Parents Can Take To Help Keep Their Kids Safe On Escalators
The other day, I went with my son to the quaint Whole Foods in Chicago (yeah right, 80,000 sq. feet of organic, raw bliss!!) to pick up some groceries. After parking, we took two-- huge escalator rides-- down to the main shopping levels.
Maybe its simply a part of stores' expansion, but it seems like there's a lot more escalators moving us around. Sure, the added escalators can be a great convenience (particularly if you are carrying groceries), but when escalators are improperly installed or poorly maintained they pose a tremendous threat of injuries to everyone-- and children in particular.
Children's small fingers, toes and shoes can be easily be caught in the gaps between treads or between the steps and the side of the escalators. Once caught, the powerful motors used to operate escalators are particularly unforgiving and can quickly cut and maime small limbs.
The prevalence of escalator injuries is far greater than you'd think. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, estimates more than 10,000 people a year go to the emergency room for injuries sustained on escalators.
Approximately 20% of escalator injuries include hands, feet, or shoes trapped. Though not specifically designated, some experts suggest that escalator injuries to children may account for close of half of all reported cases.
Worn escalator parts can create even larger gaps between the moving parts of the inner workings of the machine that can expose children to additional risk of injuries. However, the maintenance and inspection of escalators and their various parts is left to individual states. Nonetheless, it is the responsibility of property owners to keep their escalators in safe working order and conduct necessary inspections to assure so.
Preventing Childrens Injuries On Escalators
An analysis of escalator-related injuries suggests that parents can reduce the chance of injuries to their children by taking the following preventative measures:
- Encourage children to stand in the middle of the step-- away from sides
- Remove all loose clothing prior to getting on the escalator
- Hold your child's hand
- Pick-up young children
- Keep children with flip-flops and Crocs away from escalators
- Use the stairs or elevator if you or your child is not comfortable with the escalator
As an injury lawyer who has worked on a number of cases involving children who became injured while using an escalator, I hope that parents will pause and remember that the safety of their children needs to remain at the forefront when using even everyday machines that have become a fixture of modern life and never take safety for-granted.
Resources:
Escalator-related Injuries in Children (PDF) by Shari L. Platt, Jeffrey S. Fine and George L. Foltin, Pediatrics
Danger On The Escalator, Children And Elderly High At Risk Losing Toes And Fingers, By Tatiana Moses, CBS News, February 17, 2005
An analysis of escalator-related injuries in an emergency department (PDF) Hong Kong Journal of Emergency Medicine, July, 2010
