Man raises concern over unsafe "safety" barrier on escalator in Singapore mall

SINGAPORE: A man took to social media to show a safety barrier placed in front of an escalator, which, ironically, appears to be quite unsafe.

On his Facebook page on Friday (Nov 29), John Xavier posted a video consisting of a pole on top of a round base, containing a warning sign that parents should hold small children's hands while using the escalator.

The sign also disallowed children’s strollers and wheeled carts for heavy objects.

Such barriers are placed in the middle of an escalator’s base to prevent people from mounting large objects. The problem is that lifting the barrier also means lifting the plate at the base of the escalator, which also means exposing its mechanism. Lifting the plate is so easy that a young girl, who looks around six or seven years old, can do so at the beginning of the video without effort. [caption id="attachment_628215" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Screengrab/John Xavier[/caption]

The man pointed out that people could fall inside when the plate over the escalator mechanism is open. Of course, this could cause serious injury.

Based on a photo added to Mr Xavier’s video, it appears he called attention to the staff regarding the matter.

[caption id="attachment_628213" align="aligncenter" width="778"] Screengrab/ John Xavier[/caption]

While some tried to downplay the possible dangers of the loose base plate, some pointed out that children or even teenagers who are curious or like touching things could end up exposing the mechanism of the escalator and cause an accident.

“If someone purposely or accidentally hits the post, it will expose the cover to be opened, and at that moment, somebody may fall into the pit. So the design obviously FAILS and is UNSAFE,” one wrote.

Others thanked Mr Xavier for finding the flaw in the safety barrier, noting that they had seen the same design in other places as well.

The video was shared on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group page on Sunday (Dec 1), where one commenter noted that this lift is at Marina Square.

The Independent Singapore has contacted Mr Xavier for further comments or updates. /TISG

Read also: Man calls mall’s attention after his shoe gets stuck in escalator