Most people do not think much of accidents associated with escalators, moving walkways and elevators present within an airport. However, a place with even five of these mechanical transports can experience one injured passenger at the least every year. And this kind of escalator- and elevator-related mishaps generally take place because of human error, with mechanical failure accounting only for a small percentage.
In order to decrease the risks of injuries on moving walkways, escalators and elevators at airports, following some effective measures is essential. Doing so would not only help to ensure safety of passengers, but also save an organisation from expensive lawsuits.
Having Preventive Maintenance Performed Regularly
The foremost step towards avoiding costly litigation due to injury caused from malfunctioning mechanical transports at an airport is preventive maintenance. A reliable technical services company in UAE should be hired for inspecting and performing necessary repairs on all escalators, elevators and moving walkways regularly. The professionals would detect and eliminate issues like deficient parts, irregular speed settings, bad lighting, poor cabling, etc. before these even get a chance to spell trouble.
Making Safe & Operational Alternatives Available
Sometimes, passengers enter into escalators with a child stroller or luggage cart, even though they shouldn’t be doing it. But they are forced to do so due to lack of alternatives. Therefore, an airport must have safe mechanical transports suitable for carrying luggage carts and child strollers in order to prevent passengers from facing any inconvenience.
Putting Up Warnings & Signage
Caution signs informing travellers about potential risks ought to be present near every mechanical transport within an airport. Signage indicating the necessary do’s and don’ts would not only keep passengers safe from accidents, but also provide them info about the spots where emergency shutdown switches are located.
Installing & Maintaining Surveillance Equipment
As has been mentioned already, majority of accidents around escalators and elevators are caused because of human errors. However, not always are the airport authorities responsible; sometimes it can be a rowdy passenger too. Therefore, to monitor everyone in real-time, good surveillance cameras should be installed as well as maintained within the premises of an airport. In case any adverse incident takes place, they can help to determine the party responsible for it.
Thus, these are the best and most effective measures to ensure safety around mechanical transports in airports. Each and every facility must follow them properly to reduce the risks of unwanted accidents.