'Set up special safety agency to monitor escalators in shopping complexes' - Fomca

A special safety agency should be set up to monitor the escalators in all shopping complexes nationwide.

This is the opinion of Federation of Malaysian Consumers Association (Fomca) secretary-general Datuk Paul Selvaraj who said, this is because at the moment, there is no special body to oversee consumer safety while using the facility.

He said it is important to form such a safety agency, following numerous cases of escalator accidents involving children reported in the country.

He said the existing agencies focus more on the safety of workers.

“Yes, there is an agency for that but it is for the workers. But why is there less focus on the users?” he asked.

He however said parents also should play their role to ensure their children’s safety while taking escalators.

“Parents have to put their children’s safety first. If they are anxious of using escalators, they can use the elevators,” he said.

He added shopping complexes can also make safety a priority by placing a signboards reminding parents to keep a watchful eye on their children when using the facility.

In the latest accident involving escalators, a three-year-old boy’s foot was severed after being stuck in an escalator at KL Sentral.

The incident occurred on Monday while the boy, three, was on a family outing.