Hidden rules
The Beijing subway escalator accident was caused by flaws in OTIS's design and manufacture. It also had to do with the fact that the producer's maintenance was not thorough enough, said Zhang Juming, deputy chief of Beijing's Quality and Technical Supervision Bureau.
Authorities have formulated rules to ensure the safety of elevator/escalator operation. First, the manufacturer must acquire a certificate of production and the unit must be tested before beginning formal operation. Second, after installation by the manufacturer, a process of checking and approval are required. Third, the producer must implement regular inspections in the first year of the unit's operation.
However, in practical application things are rather different.
In the process of manufacturing and marketing, usually the manufacturer offering the lowest bid wins a contract, forcing manufacturers to reduce costs by using cheaper materials. For example, some producers have used 1.5cm-thick steel plating instead of 2cm-thick plating to produce "Chinese style elevators," the report cited an insider as saying.
Furthermore, the thoroughness of elevator/escalator inspections is sorely lacking. "In Beijing, there are only about 200 inspectors (from the above mentioned organizations) in charge of the inspection of 130,000 elevators. It's impossible to do the work in accordance with the requirements of the authorities," Miao said.
To make matters worse, elevator maintenance enterprises are allegedly bribing inspectors with hongbao, or banknotes wrapped in red paper, in order to "successfully" pass inspections.
One elevator maintenance company spends 300,000 yuan to 500,000 yuan wining and dining inspectors and handing out hongbao every year, according to its manager.
Dysfunctional training system
The weakest link, however, is maintenance and installation, said one expert. "We lack professional technicians."
The proper training of elevator and escalator maintenance workers is a problem in China. Anyone can apply for such training, which is organized by various kinds of schools, but usually there are no training centers and often only books are provided for self-study.
Trainees only get two or three days of centralized training before the examination, according to Han Zaixue, deputy chief engineer at the BBQTS.
Maintenance enterprises will have to take some responsibility for the increase in elevator accidents. However, the incompetent operators who "graduate" from disordered training schools are also a part of the long-term problem, Han said.
