Escalator maintenance company slapped with S$15K fine after elderly man & woman fell in Hougang
SINGAPORE: On Thursday (Oct 1), a company was given a fine of S$15,000 due to incidents in 2023 in which two elderly individuals were injured after falling from an escalator at Hougang because the handrails were not working properly.
The firm, 9G Elevator, entered a guilty plea to one charge of failing to carry out required maintenance works, according to reporting from CNA.
The incidents occurred on April 21, 2023, at 105 Hougang Avenue 1, which is owned by Aljunied Hougang Town Council (AHTC).
The first involved an 84-year-old man who fell from the escalator and was injured in his elbows and back. The report said that he bled from these injuries.
Unfortunately, the second incident was more serious, as a 76-year-old woman who fell from the escalator suffered a fractured spine.
The two seniors appeared to have lost their balance because of the improper servicing of the escalator. On that day, its handrail did not move while the actual stairs were moving. The court saw footage of the man endeavouring to hold on to the handrail but ending up falling down some steps.
After the incident was reported by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), officers inspected the escalator and discovered that the right handrail stopped when a person held it.
The mishap occurred during a period when 9G was scheduled by the town council to conduct maintenance. And while the escalator had been serviced multiple times between October 2022 and April 2023, its handrail and shaft bearings had not been thoroughly inspected. Because these were worn out, they were no longer working properly.
CNA noted the prosecutor saying that between January 2018 and December 2022, 9G had 30 violations. Three of these were in connection with escalator handrails.
The prosecutor from the BCA asked for the maximum fine for such incidents to be imposed, calling it one of the worst among similar cases.
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The two elderly victims indicated that they did not want to receive compensation from the maintenance company.
Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng noted that more harm could have befallen other escalator users, and noted how 9G "woefully failed” to discover the extent of the corrosion the handrail had, in spite of having inspected it multiple times.
The company has since put measures in place to prevent similar incidents from happening.
The maximum fine for failing to carry out maintenance works as required is S$20,000. /TISG