The quality of escalator signage for public safety in Malaysia: an observational study

Objective

Escalator signage could be playing a vital role to alert users for safe use of escalators. This study aimed to evaluate the availability, standardization, and content of safety information on escalator signage in the shopping malls.

Methods

An observational study was conducted from November 2017 to February 2018 to assess the availability, standardization of safety information among the signage inside the shopping mall, and the content of safety information for public safety in Malaysia. A checklist was developed by adapting escalator safety guidelines from seven countries and regions including Malaysia. Data collectors identified from the selected states were required to capture three photographs at different angles of the escalator signage for each ascending and descending directions at each entrance of the mall. Descriptive analysis was performed; each criterion was presented in frequency and percentage.

Results

A total of 268 escalators from 84 shopping malls in 9 states of Malaysia were assessed. Two operating escalators were not equipped with signage. More than one-fifth (23.0%) of the signage was not standardized within the mall. The majority of safety information was displayed in the form of a pictogram, a minority of signage displayed information in both pictogram and text format: “children must hold hand” (12.7%) and “be careful of long clothing” (10.8%), respectively. Nevertheless, “toddlers should be carried” (8.6%) and “take extra care with rubber shoes/tied shoes/laces” (30.2%) were found absent in most of the signage.

Conclusion

Escalator signage was present in almost all of the escalators observed. However, non-standardization of the signage of escalators should warrant the attention of relevant authorities to revise the safety guidelines and improve the quality of escalator.