I am shocked yesteryear the set out of buildings which guide keep depression walls or depression sides to escalators. Low walls may live on inside security regulations, but every twelvemonth you lot read of accidents.
At SIM (Singapore Institute of Management) I took a photograph of students sitting on a wall. When I looked over the edge, I was horrified to come across that at that spot was a sheer drib the other side onto a venture concrete floor.
What could larn wrong?
1 You solely postulate 1 someone to create a jovial slapping match, play fighting.
ii Or to dodge an insect,
3 Or thin dorsum against somebody who is sitting on an edge,
4 Or to drib a cap or band in addition to attain out to seek to select guide keep of in addition to lose your ease ...
v Suicides
Time for architects in addition to designers to detect ways of designing safer buildings.
Time for students at schools in addition to colleges in addition to polytechnics universities to live on given a contest to pattern inexpensive but rubber walls with views - in addition to places to sit. If they had seats inwards the corridor against the inner wall, the students would live on less probable to perch on the higher wall over the sheer drop.
Deaths from falls accept identify non simply inwards Singapore but worldwide. H5N1 quick search produced reports of falls, ordinarily fatal, inwards Singapore, China, Thailand, India, Europe, UK, in addition to Central American.
DEATHS & DANGERS
EUROPE
BBC reports Balcony deaths - 11 falls inwards iii months - Magaluf, Spain
https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-44473177
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/australian-couple-fall-to-death-while-taking-selfie-above-beach-in-portugal-a3861516.html
Singapore study of identify where walls were 1.6m or lower
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/parents-seek-answers-after-teen-falls-to-death-from-sky-garden
17 twelvemonth onetime dies inwards Singapore:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/man-injured-after-falling-from-fourth-floor-of-orchard-central
https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/teen-who-fell-death-orchard-central-wanted-video-taken-first-hand-witness
CHINA
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/2-toddlers-fall-to-their-deaths-in-china-mall-after-mother-loses-grip-near-balcony
THAILAND
https://coconuts.co/bangkok/news/thai-student-falls-off-balcony-death-looking-phone-signal/
INDIA
https://www.ndtv.com/bangalore-news/18-month-old-baby-falls-from-escalator-at-bengaluru-metro-station-dies-1984346
UK
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/10892221/Two-teenage-students-die-after-falling-from-south-London-balcony-while-having-sex.html
CENTRAL AMERICA
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6273793/Pictured-Woman-filmed-falling-death-trying-selfie-27th-floor-balcony.html
USA
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20825783 ('falls are common')
https://www.foxnews.com/us/un-diplomat-falls-to-death-from-balcony-in-new-york-after-trust-game-report-says
WORLDWIDE
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_selfie-related_injuries_and_deaths
https://www.ranker.com/list/what-its-like-to-fall-to-your-death
With a picayune to a greater extent than effort, nosotros could cut the numbers of deaths. We postulate a alter inwards regulations, balcony heights, windows which cannot opened upwards broad plenty to climb out, to a greater extent than accountability, in addition to co-ordinated in addition to persistent efforts to bring most changes to architecture in addition to actions.
REMEDIES
Some well-known accidents in addition to suicide points:
Golden Gate Bridge, USA.
What is already existence done?
1 Announcement on the Singapore MRT telling the elderly in addition to people with immature children or anybody feeling unwell to purpose the lifts.
ii Signs inwards Singapore tell people non to sit down on parapets 'for your ain safety'.
I propose adding CCTV, warnings that you lot are on CCTV, in addition to fines for doing so.
3 San Francisco banned opening windows inwards hotels afterwards a serial of suicides.
4 USA suicide span - friend of victim set upwards notice to relieve others
v Prosecute anybody who pushes anybody off a span or encourages them to jump
half dozen Ban videos of unsafe activities (such every bit jumping from edifice to building) which give glory to those performing such actions in addition to could encourage others to copy
seven Remember that stunt men in addition to women inwards cinema arrive at a wellness in addition to security assessment first. Even so, several cases of accidents occur.
8 Telephone lines to assist services on Golden Gate Bridge, USA
nine Viktor Frankl, founder of logotherapy, reduced the pupil suicide charge per unit of measurement to zippo inwards the 1930s inwards Vienna, Austria
For a start:
1 Put upwards barriers
ii Raise walls
3 Insert alert signs similar the ones at accident blackspots listing numbers of deaths
4 fine people for doing unsafe acts,
v Provide seating away good dorsum from sentinel points.
half dozen Build stepped buildings to minimise external in addition to internal drops
seven Insert drinking glass walls amongst escalators
8 Make industrial plant life barriers
nine Ensure balconies arrive at non guide keep ladder type horizontal bars which children tin give the axe climb
10 Ban the carrying oo unsecured babes inwards arms on escalators
11 Build lifts nearer escalators in addition to then mothers with babies guide keep less far to walk to attain 1 Offer 24 hr service for spare keys to halt youngsters who lose keys from trying to climb upwards balconies.
12 Insert 'sleeping policemen' to forestall drunks trying to purpose surfaces beside escalator every bit slides.
Oddly, you lot are non allowed to proceed a truthful cat inwards a high ascension edifice unless you lot guide keep a high barrier. Yet you lot tin give the axe alive without a barrier fifty-fifty if guide keep a identify unit of measurement with babies, toddlers, teenagers, in addition to homesick maids.
Stay safe. As the British route security promotion used to say:
QUOTATION: The life you lot relieve may live on your own.
Safety measures:
https://www.youngparents.com.sg/family/7-ways-prevent-escalator-accidents/
Author, Angela Lansbury, go author in addition to photographer, author in addition to speaker. Please portion links to your favourite posts.