Safety, vandalism addressed in China, India.

Weifang Rolls Out Its First Vertical-Transportation Safety Law

Weifang, China, has enacted its first elevator/escalator safety law as units, and accidents, multiply, China Radio International reported. The number of units in Weifang grew from approximately 1,300 in 2006 to 25,768 at the beginning of 2017. Noting that many older units are prone to malfunction and describing the elevator maintenance market as “chaotic,” the local safety authority stated the new law will result in fines for any company or individual found to be responsible for a malfunction or failing to address issues in a reasonable amount of time. Horseplay in elevators, blocking elevator entrances, forcing open stuck elevator doors and reversing the direction of escalators are prohibited. Failure of maintenance staff to respond to a malfunction within 30 min. of being reported will result in fines of up to US$14,000.

India Working on Anti-Tampering Software

India’s Western Railway is testing software at Vasai Station in suburban Mumbai designed to detect if an escalator has been shut down intentionally by unauthorized individuals, Hindi News reported. The move came in the wake of complaints in January about escalators being shut down during peak hours at Borivali Station. Authorities suspect people are pressing escalators’ “stop” buttons, which should only be used during emergencies or maintenance, at critical times. The software will be designed to detect when and where button tampering occurs.