While escalators are very helpful in climbing a long fleet of stairs conveniently, you need to be extra careful and vigilant while using it. Recently, in a fatal accident inside a mall in China, a woman lost her life after she fell off the escalators and the metal plate pierced her body.
While tragic accidents like these occur rarely, accidents in general, are not uncommon on escalators. As per the government data, about 10,000 patients with escalator-related injuries are admitted in the emergency wards of various hospitals in India. Children and senior citizens are the most vulnerable age groups when it comes to escalator accidents.
By being vigilant and following some escalator safety tips, you can ensure the safety and security of yourself as well as your loved ones. Hence, we’ve compiled a list of few simple tips to adhere while riding an escalator to avoid any unwanted incidents: One should consider buying a health insurance
coverage that takes care of accident related expenses since it’s the need of the hour. A personal accident insurance
policy would also help you take care of the monetary consequences.
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Take extra precautions while stepping on and off
Most accidents on the escalators occur while boarding or deboarding it. Thus, it becomes extremely crucial to be attentive and take extra precautions while stepping on and off the escalators, especially, during the time of heavy rush.
Try to let the crowd pass and board the escalator when it’s safe. Check the direction of the escalator carefully before stepping on it. While stepping off, do not hesitate and move your steps promptly. Make sure that you do not let your feet slide off at the end of the escalators.
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Always hold the handrails while riding
Losing your balance while riding on the escalator can result in a disaster. So, it’s prudent that you keep holding the handrail with one of your hands as it provides extra balance while you’re moving with the escalator. Even if you’re carrying a baggage with you, make sure to keep one hand free so that you can always hold the handrails while riding the escalators.
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Take extra care of children
It is very important to pay careful attention to your children while riding on the escalators. In case your child is too small to ride on an escalator, it’s recommended to use an elevator instead of escalator. Or else, if you have to use them anyway, lift your child up in one of your arms and hold the grabrail with the other hand.
In case your child is big enough to stand on the escalator, make sure you keep holding his hands while moving at it. Do not let him/her touch below the side rails of the escalator or sit on the steps. Loose clothes being worn by the child can get entangled while sitting on the escalator. This can cause a serious accident or some grave injuries to your child.
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Escalators are meant for people and not trolleys
It is advisable not to board the escalator if you’re carrying a walker, stroller, wheeled cart, luggage trolley etc. Doing it can throw you off-balance which can result in serious injuries to you as well as other passengers. It is always better to take an elevator in such cases even if it means more waiting time or a longer route.
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Take care of your clothing
It is very important to take care of your outfit while riding the escalator. It’s always recommended to wear fitting clothes. However, if you are wearing clothes with loose ends, make sure you stay away from the side so that they do not get entangled in the machine.
It is also prudent to wear closed shoes with hard soles and avoid footwears like crocs and flip-flops. This is because footwear made of rubber or resin-like flexible materials can impact your grip on the stairs, thereby increasing the chances of a mishap.
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Press the emergency stop button during distress
No matter how much precautions you take, possibility of an accident can never be ruled out. It is thus imperative for you to know about the location of an emergency stop button before boarding the escalator. You can also alert your co-riders so that they can press the button in case it is out of your reach when the mishap occurs.
Apart from following these simple tips to avoid escalator-related accidents, it would be a wise move from your side to purchase an accident insurance policy for yourself. Apart from providing you financial security against any untoward accidents which can cause serious injuries, it will ensure that you get the best medical treatment possible, and that too, at the earliest during such emergencies. ICICI Lombard also provides health insurance plans like Complete Health Insurance , Health Booster, Arogya Sanjeevani Policy
, Corona Kavach Policy which offers people with the much needed financial backup during any medical emergencies.