Lifting safety standards

Beijing is second only to Shanghai in China as the city with the most escalators and elevators, with 133,000 of the conveyor devices in the capital. However, many of these machines are nearing the end of their working lives, raising public concerns over their safety. Statistics from the Beijing Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision reveal that 32,577 elevators and escalators - roughly about a quarter of the city's total - have been in use for a decade or longer.

Rising safety concerns

The issue of safety made news in July last year when an escalator malfunction at the Beijing Zoo Subway Station on Line 4 resulted in the death of a 13-year-old boy and injured 30 other passengers. Earlier this year in February, an elevator at the Fulaiyin Garden residential complex in Dongcheng district fell without warning, injuring an 80-year-old man. Both incidents sparked public concern that Beijing might be on the verge of a spate of further escalator and elevator accidents.

Last year, black box-type network alarms were installed in 2,000 escalators and elevators as a part of a technology pilot program. By 2015, all escalators and elevators will be equipped with the devices that, like those on aircraft, send real-time information to a central control system.

Zhang Lexiang, deputy general-secretary of the China Association of Elevators and Escalators, explained that the alarms aim to improve the quality of supervision and maintenance. "It offers us a database that not only provides updates on the status of elevators and escalators, but also allows maintenance companies to remotely control escalators and elevators in the event of an accident," he told the Global Times.

Network alarms were first touted as a way of improving the safety of people-moving devices back in 2001. However, the costly scheme worth tens of million of yuan stalled and was only revisited amid growing pressure triggered by the recent spate accidents.

Li Lianghua, director of supervision at the Beijing Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision, said the project will be privatized, rather than being a solely government-funded scheme. Li also highlighted the advantages for using the devices, saying they will go a long way toward restoring public trust in using escalators and elevators.

"It allows the manufacturers of elevators and escalators as well as property managers and corresponding government supervision departments to receive the latest operational data from the machines themselves," he said. "With this knowledge, we can know in advance about the working condition of elevators and escalators and anticipate problems before they happen."

　　Slack maintenance to blame

Li pointed out that in the event of an accident, maintenance workers will be on the scene to repair elevators or escalators in "less than half an hour."

"This technology is still in its trial period and we're trying to fix bugs, but we expect it to be launched by the end of September," he added.

Zhang Wenjun, manager of the Beijing Bei Xun Elevator and Escalator Company, pointed out that safety concerns plaguing the machines nowadays stem from three areas: design deficiency; improper installment; and minimal regular maintenance. "Maintenance is a major factor in ensuring safety," Zhang pinpointed, adding that escalators or elevators should be maintained at least twice each month. Duties involve ensuring proper lubrication of elevator cables to reduce corrosion, cleaning escalators' motors and circuit boards, as well as removing debris that can cause jams.

Zhang Lexiang said current laws require escalators and elevators to be inspected every 15 days by licensed maintenance companies. Fines for companies that fail to do this range from 2,000 to 5,000 yuan ($317-$792.50). Elevators and escalators must also be cleaned every five days, with fines of between 2,000 and 20,000 yuan for companies and property managers who don't.

"Irregular maintenance is often due to negligence from property managers who want to avoid the costs," Zhang explained, adding that the average cost of an elevator inspection by a maintenance company in Beijing ranges from 2,000 to 4,000 yuan.

"Every three to five years, an elevator requires a thorough inspection. Often cables and other parts need to be replaced altogether," he said.

　　Cutting costs and corners

While costs of maintenance for escalators and elevators in China are a fraction compared to those in many Western countries, cutthroat competition in Beijing has resulted in dangerous corners being cut.

"[Maintenance companies] slash their prices to boost business, but they also lower the quality of services and parts," Li said. "In some old residential complexes, elevators nearing the end of their working lives need to be repaired completely with new parts, incurring huge costs. Many residents are unwilling to pay extra property management fees to cover these costs, so [elevators] are neglected."

Zhang Hui lives at the 32-floor Gogo Xinshidai compound in southwest Beijing's Fengtai district. Her building, which is about eight years old and home to hundreds of residents, has six elevators, though she believes not all regularly receive maintenance.

One day after leaving her apartment, Zhang was in an elevator that fell four floors without warning. Thankfully, no one was hurt. "The elevator was at the 10th floor when it abruptly dropped to the sixth floor. Everyone inside was screaming and tried to press the emergency button, but it didn't work," Zhang recalled.

"My neighbors told me of another time when the elevator they were in stopped in between two floors with its doors wide open."

Zhang said she had seen maintenance checks carried out on the elevators, but was dubious about them occurring twice each month. "I'm happy to pay higher property management fees if it means having the peace of mind for safety, but I know that there are some residents who don't even pay the current property management fee, which is around 2,000 yuan per annum," said the resident aged in her 30s