Friday, March 14, 2008

Escalators Are Dangerous

 
From Science News [Rate Of Escalator Injuries To Older Adults Has Doubled]
Using U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission data, the researchers found nearly 40,000 older adults were injured on escalators between 1991 and 2005. The most frequent cause of injury was a slip, trip or fall resulting in a bruise or contusion. The most common injuries were to the lower extremities. However, most injuries were not serious. Only 8 percent of the 39,800 injured were admitted to the hospital after evaluation in an emergency department.

"Although escalators are a safe form of transportation, fall-related injuries do occur. Older adults, especially those with mobility, balance or vision problems, should use caution while riding an escalator and especially when stepping on or off. They should not try to walk up or down a moving escalator, carry large objects, or wear loose shoes or clothing while riding since these appear to be associated with an increased risk of falling," said Dr. O'Neil, associate professor of clinical pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine.




3 comments:

  1. Hey, it looks like the filmed that at one of the bank towers... I think the First Canadian Place?

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  2. When I lived in Germany in the early 1980s, I noticed that the escalators in (what was then) the Eastern Bloc countries were really FAST -- the ones in E. Berlin & Prague actually created enough wind to blow my hair back!

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  3. The escalator gag is a total rip off (but a well done one) of Steve Martin. He did this in an early comedy special.

    "Help, help, I'm stuck" (that was Martin's line, but you had to see it with the body language, etc...)

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