Escalator accident statistics

The misuse of escalators – from not holding the rail to standing in the wrong place – sometimes leads to minor or more serious injuries. According to figures from VeiligheidNL, every year around 500 people end up in the emergency department due to an accident with an escalator. 90% of cases are caused by falling off a step. The other cases involve people getting trapped, sustaining cuts, or bumping into an escalator.

LIFTINSTITUUT SURVEY: 
1 IN 5 EXPERIENCES AN INCIDENT

Escalator and elevator accidents are not always reported to organizations like Liftinstituut. To gain some insight into the actual number of incidents, the level of safety awareness, and the willingness of the Dutch to report an incident, Liftinstituut arranged for a survey to be conducted by research agency Motivaction. A total of 1,036 Dutch people were surveyed. Here are the main results.

 

Question: WHICH SITUATIONS HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED?

 
 15
to
24		 25
to
34		 35
to
44		 45
to
54		 55
to
70		 Total
a child was injured on an escalator or in an elevator 10% 9% 8% 11% 6% 9%
a coat, scarf, shoe or shoelace got stuck in an escalator or elevator 11% 10% 12% 9% 8% 10%
a child’s hand got caught between the elevator doors 3% 6% 6% 3% 2% 4%
none of these 83% 77% 78% 80% 87% 81%

 

Statement: CHILDREN MAY PLAY NEAR AN ESCALATOR

 
 15
to
24		 25
to
34		 35
to
44		 45
to
54		 55
to
70		 Total
(strongly) disagree 60% 67% 74% 74% 83% 73%
neither agree nor disagree 26% 15% 13% 14% 10% 14%
(strongly) agree 13% 15% 10% 8% 5% 9%
don’t know/no opinion 1% 4% 3% 5% 2% 3%

 

Statement: IF I EXPERIENCE AN INCIDENT WITH AN ESCALATOR OR ELEVATOR, I IMMEDIATELY REPORT IT TO AN AUTHORITY OR THE OWNER

 
 15
to
24		 25
to
34		 35
to
44		 45
to
54		 55
to
70		 Total
(strongly) disagree 21% 19% 12% 7% 3% 11%
neither agree nor disagree 20% 21% 18% 20% 16% 19%
(strongly) agree 43% 51% 60% 63% 77% 61%
don’t know/no opinion 16% 8% 10% 11% 5% 9%

 

OVERVIEW OF ESCALATOR ACCIDENTS   

There are lots of videos on YouTube of accidents, some involving fatal or serious injuries. Below you will find a number of YouTube videos where escalator users got away with just a fright or a scratch.

Wheelchair on escalator

Young boy climbs on the side of an escalator; shopkeeper catches him

Network Rail in England shows accidents caught on CCTV