PETALING JAYA: The Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) are looking to take escalator safety education to the schools.
It is putting together a programme which should be going out by April, said IEM committee member of mechanical engineering (technical division) Raghib Azmi.
“We feel that this awareness needs to be created among primary school children.
“Children get curious when they see moving escalators. They wonder where the steps are coming out from and where they are going into, and start looking into it or playing on it,” he said.
Raghib said that due to such curiosity, parents must supervise their children and hold on to their hands when near an escalator.
“The programme will probably be about 30 to 45 minutes, with some videos, a briefing and maybe a mascot educating the children on being careful when using an escalator.
“We will start this at schools in the city that are near shopping malls,” he said
IEM has approached the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), Malaysian Lifts and Escalators Association (Malea) and other stakeholders for their involvement in the programme, he said.
Malea president Franky Ho said it would meet DOSH on ways to improve safety standards and create more public awareness.
“We also need the support of escalator owners – if possible – to announce safety steps via their PA system in 15 to 30 minute intervals until the public is more aware, before reducing its frequency,” said Ho.
Malls would also take the initiative to place speakers near escalators, playing recordings on the safety steps, in multiple languages, he said.
“People don’t have time to read the safety signs and may prefer to hear announcements,” he added.
Raghib agreed and said that like driving a car, people should not take machines for granted.
“They must exercise caution, such as always holding onto the handrails when stepping onto an escalator,” he said.
