Elevator risk going up

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As aging, overused elevators go up, so does the potential for accidents, the top quality watchdog has warned.

Old, creaking machinery coupled with increased demand could endanger users, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine revealed to China Daily in an e-mail.

China is the world's largest manufacturer and user of elevators. More than 2 million were in use by the end of 2011, and the figure continues to rise by 20 percent annually, according to the administration.

"Authorities are facing greater pressure supervising safety in the elevator and escalator industry and this is a growing concern among the public," the statement said.

There were 20 fatalities from January to September in 28 serious elevator accidents.

One incident saw a 35-year-old tourist from Hunan plunge to her death when she stepped into the shaft in a department store in Shanghai in September.

The mortality rate per 10,000 elevators is below 0.2, similar to some developed countries, the administration said.

But authorities believe that as equipment ages, especially if it is more than a decade old, the risk of accidents increases.

About 80 percent of elevator accidents in Beijing were due to poor maintenance, said Miao Busheng, chairman of the Beijing Elevator Commerce Committee.

Elevators should undergo regular maintenance every two weeks but there is no legal requirement to take elevators out of use after a mandated period.

Property management companies usually outsource maintenance to professional companies.

There are about 300 such companies in Beijing and they have fewer than 50,000 technicians in charge of maintaining more than130,000 elevators.

But there are only 13 large maintenance companies and each are responsible for about 1,000 elevators. The remainder are serviced by small firms.

The industry association inspected 60 maintenance companies in Beijing between May and October, exposing a number of problems.

"Safety checks and maintenance were just empty terms in some buildings, as they were never carried out," Miao said.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.