Factors affecting escalator accidents: Insights from the Korean railway system

This study aims to identify the key factors contributing to escalator accidents in Korea, analyzing over 28,500 escalators operated since 1965 in the Republic of Korea. We examined four types of accidents: ‘being stuck,’ ‘tumbling,’ ‘falling down stairs,’ ‘falling into pits,’ and ‘being bumped,’ considering factors such as faults of involved parties, operation length, speed, and year of manufacturing. Each accident type shows different trends and factors, so a tailored, comprehensive set of improvement measures is recommended. These include reducing operating speeds based on users’ ages, encouraging users to hold the handrails, and implementing AI-based CCTV monitoring. This research performs several descriptive analyses alongside primary quantitative analysis to develop comprehensive measures, making this study unique and more valuable.