Phuket International Airport lately completed safety checks on all escalators, following a disturbing accident at Don Mueang Airport. The General Manager of the Phuket branch of the Airports of Thailand (AoT Phuket), Monchai Tanode, confirmed that the airport’s 31 escalators and 27 elevators had been thoroughly inspected by licensed technicians, and located to be safe for public use.
In an unlucky incident on Thursday, a woman tragically lost her leg after falling on a transferring walkway at Don Mueang Airport. Both Don Mueang and Phuket International Airport come underneath the AoT’s jurisdiction. Responding quickly after the mishap, the AoT sought a “strict inspection” from the producer of their escalators and elevators, The Phuket News reported.
Monchai further detailed that this special security examine was carried out outdoors the scheduled service timeframe, regardless of the common inspections the escalators underwent in February.
According to a post-inspection report launched by the Phuket workplace of the Public Relations Department (PR Phuket) today, “Experts from a non-public company have confirmed that every one escalators within Phuket Airport have been replaced with new fashions. While they last of the methods totally complies with the protection laws specified by the Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT).” The report further reassured the public that “if an object enters the mechanism, the escalator’s safety system will instantly stop the operation of the escalator.”
In the wake of the accident at Don Mueang, the EIT suggested the woman’s suitcase wheel might have broken the travellator’s comb. The broken section then apparently slipped beneath the platform, creating a gap large sufficient for the woman’s leg to get trapped.
Citing Boonpong Kijwatanachai, advisor to the EIT’s mechanical engineering committee, Bangkok Post reported that the sensor system at the location remained useful, which means the system was working usually when the incident occurred. According to Boonpong, Don Mueang’s system, which is checked every day by upkeep workers before operation, is unbroken and adheres to standard maintenance protocols.
Explicit recommendation on the way to prevent such incidents involving luggage was not provided by Boonpong. However, he cautioned towards using cell phones on both escalators and travellators, and urged people to not be overly apprehensive of such methods since they adjust to either the “EN115 standard” or “European requirements.”
Meanwhile, a police investigation into the unfortunate incident, colloquially known as the ‘walkway horror,’ is actively in progress. All key parties are being interviewed whilst police await forensic test results, per Don Mueang Police Col. Adirek Tongkeamkeaw’s orders.
Adirek additionally stated that the police intend to research the third-party firm providing maintenance service for the travellator system, but couldn’t affirm when this would begin..