Would You Let Your Child Sit Down While Riding An Escalator?

smokeyblue

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Would you let your child sit down on the steps on an escalator when it was in motion? Why or why not?

If you wonder why I ask; we have escalators at my work, which is a public place. People allow their kids to do all sorts of things and often unattended and it's brought about general concern to the point where my team has been asked to intervene by placing additional signage. This is a large regional hospital, so it isn't like a mall or somewhere you would expect this type of behavior. I almost wonder if we have to add instructions on how one rides an escalator or say "Riders Must Stand".
 

The most dangerous part is the sides between the stairs and the non-moving vertical surface. Far more dangerous than the "shark jaws" at the bottom that people fear.

So no, I wouldn't allow them to sit because now there are more parts of their body in closer proximity to the side - however, given a choice between sitting in the middle of an escalator stair or standing near the edge of an escalator stair, I'd choose the sitting.
 
No way.

A few years back there was a little girl who was nearly strangled and scalped after sitting on an escalator at a shopping centre near me. She was wearing a fairy skirt and it got caught followed by her cardigan and her hair. Luckily there was a quick thinking paramedic nearby and someone from a store ran out with scissors so they were able to cut her free. Extremely scary!
 
as about a 5 or 6 year old I was stupid enough to try kneeling on one-my clothing got caught at the end (where the stairs end/step onto adjacent flooring)-I was fortunate enough to be wearing a material that shredded and tore away but I ended up with terrible cuts and scrapes on my legs. I can't imagine what kind of injuries I would have sustained had I been in a seated position.
 
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No.

I had an accident as a kid on one (not due to sitting).

They aren't toys. They are a convenience that need to be ridden in a safe manner. Injury is too easily achieved when safety rules are ignored. I have the scar on my knee to prove it.
 
Oh no way!!!! I have always told my boys they are to stand or we are taking the stairs.
 
Definitely not... I had a friend who's son had his hand pulled underneath the moving handrail. It basically burned and cut into his hand, it was terrible! I would want them standing next to me holding my hand.
 
Oh heck no!!!! My BFF's little sis got her arm mangled by an escalator. We are very careful on them now.
 
Nope. When I was little, my mom worked at Pennys and told us a horror story about a kid getting caught. I grew up having visions of nothing but fingers sticking up from those little teeth things :) I tried to make it not so scary for my kids but they got the same basic message :)
 
So who are these people who don't know better? I would think it would be akin to not touching a hot stove, maybe not as obvious, but in the same ballpark. I have only heard of this happening because I work in different building and rarely have business to attend to in the building with the escalator. Ironically I was over there with a mock-up of a potential escalator safety sign; we already have lots of signs, but we are going to expand again. We just got done testing two locations and taking some measurements and were looking out over the atrium and I saw an adult and a pre-school aged child get on the escalator. The child sat down. I shouted "please stand on the escalator" just loud enough that they could hear and she had the child stand up. I didn't do it to be malicious, but because I have a duty in my position to make sure passengers are using these devices properly. They did comply, so I guess no harm, no foul.
 
Would you let your child sit down on the steps on an escalator when it was in motion? Why or why not?

If you wonder why I ask; we have escalators at my work, which is a public place. People allow their kids to do all sorts of things and often unattended and it's brought about general concern to the point where my team has been asked to intervene by placing additional signage. This is a large regional hospital, so it isn't like a mall or somewhere you would expect this type of behavior. I almost wonder if we have to add instructions on how one rides an escalator or say "Riders Must Stand".

/blink /blink

Um, no. it's not safe.
I also don't let them run with scissors, play on the highway, eat/sniff glue, put bison babies in the SUV, or stick forks in electrical sockets for the same reason.

#SoOverPeopleToday
#AndItsOnly8AM
 














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