Accidents on Escalators involving SoftPlastic Sandals

Travelling on an escalator is one of the safest methods of transport – they are designed with little or no need for interaction between the user and the machine.However, there is growing awareness of incidents where ultra-light soft plastic shoes are worn, which can become trapped and cause injury. Mainly involving young children, such incidents have been reported in the UK and worldwide including such countries as the U.S.A and Japan.It appears the soft polyethylene resin compound from which such shoes are made can adhere to the front of the escalator step, become deformed and subsequently drawn into the comb at the top of the escalator.When travelling on escalators, it is important that attention is drawn to the need to keep feet clear of the front and side edges of the step, and this applies particularly to young children. To further highlight this point the industry is working to produce appropriate signage.