(Aug. 6, 2008) The Yomiuri Shimbun
Lessons must be learned from escalator accident
エスカレーター 重量超過が招いた逆走事故（8月6日付・読売社説）
It is not just elevators that have weight limits. That's the lesson operators and passengers of escalators should learn from an accident involving an escalator that occurred Sunday.
エレベーターと同じように、エスカレーターにも重量制限がある。設置者も利用者も教訓とすべき事故だ。
An ascending escalator at Tokyo Big Sight, a major exhibition hall in Tokyo's Koto Ward, stopped abruptly and began sliding downward, causing a number of people to topple and some to sustain injuries.
上りのエスカレーターが急停止して逆走し、多数の人が転倒する事故が、東京ビッグサイトであった。
ascending＝上昇する、昇りの topple＝つんのめる sustain＝傷を受ける
TV footage aired by NHK showed that the about 35-meter-long escalator directly linking the first and fourth floors in the building was packed, predominantly with young men. They were standing as close to each other as passengers might on a train during the rush hour.
ＮＨＫテレビが放映した、その瞬間の映像では、１階から４階に直行する長さ約３５メートルのエスカレーターが、主に若い世代の男性らでラッシュ時の電車内のように、すし詰めの状態だ。
predominantly＝大部分は
A witness said people began calling out as the accident occurred in an attempt to encourage people on the escalator to move away from its base, but many people were unable to move. The witnesses said a number of people fell some distance from above.
「逃げろと大声がしたが、まったく身動きがとれず、上から人が降ってくるようだった」という証言もある。
The accident resulted in relatively light injuries to 10 people. This light toll may have been partly due to the fact that there were few elderly people or children on the escalator.
軽傷者１０人と軽微な被害で済んだのは、高齢者や子供が少なかったためもあるだろう。
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Fault thought unlikely
（思いがけない事故の原因）
The escalator in question was manufactured by Nippon Otis Elevator Co.
事故機は「日本オーチス・エレベータ」が製造した。
In May, some passengers riding an Otis escalator in a Nagoya municipal subway station fell backward after the escalator came to a sudden stop.
同型機では今年５月、名古屋市の市営地下鉄駅でも、急停止して乗客が後ろに倒れる事故が起きている。
After the accident in Nagoya, investigators concluded that a broken bolt used to secure a stand that held a motor and other equipment likely was the cause.
この事故では、モーターなどを載せる台を固定するためのボルトが折れていた。
We hope that investigators probing the Tokyo accident will properly check whether a structural defect was to blame.
今回も構造上の不備はないか、まずはその点をきちんと調べてほしい。
According to the Metropolitan Police Department, however, there is a strong possibility the escalator ground to a halt due to the combined weight of the people riding it. After stopping, it began moving backward because its braking mechanism also could not bear the weight.
だが、警視庁のこれまでの調べでは、重量超過が原因で停止した後、ブレーキが耐えきれずに逆走した可能性が強い。
What should be inspected first, therefore, is how admission to the venue was controlled and how the visitors were guided.
何よりも検証すべきは、入場者の整理や誘導がどう行われていたかだ。
venue＝現場､現地、事故などの発生地
Most of the people on the escalator were heading to the Wonder Festival 2008 Summer exhibition and a sale of cartoon and game figures that had just opened on the fourth floor of the building. The popular annual event attracts more than 40,000 people a day.
４階の会場では、アニメやゲームのキャラクターをかたどったフィギュアを展示・販売する「ワンダーフェスティバル」が始まったばかりだった。
Many people rushed onto the escalator immediately after the opening of the event Sunday.
１日で４万人以上が訪れる恒例の人気イベントで、この日も、開場とともに大勢の人がエスカレーターに殺到した。
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Safety must be addressed
（安全性がまず問われるべき）
According to Nippon Otis Elevator, the escalator in question was not designed to bear the weight of two adults standing on each step. But when the accident occurred, more than three adults were standing on many of the steps. The escalator was not designed to bear this load.
「日本オーチス・エレベータ」によると、事故機の場合、各ステップに大人が２人ずつ乗ることは想定していない。それが３人以上も乗っていた。これでは耐えられるわけがない。
Even if the escalator had not started sliding down, a stampede could have occurred simply by one person stumbling and falling on a step.
逆走事故が起きなくても、前列の人がつまずいて転倒すれば、将棋倒しになる危険もあった。
stampede＝どっと押し寄せること stumbling＝つまずく
As more and more buildings install escalators, so the number of accidents involving people falling also is increasing.
エスカレーターの設置台数の増加とともに、転倒事故も増えている。
The escalator manufacturers' body urges passengers to hold the handrail tightly when they ride an escalator as they can stop suddenly due to power failure or other reasons.
業界団体では、停電などでも急停止することがあるとして、利用する際は必ず移動手すりにつかまるよう呼びかけている。
The incident shows that allowing many people to rush to one small area of a building can be dangerous.
今回の事故は、狭い場所に群衆が殺到して起きる雑踏事故としてもみることができる。
Various events are planned across the country for the summer vacation period. Organizers and visitors at these events should give serious consideration to safety issues.
夏休み中は各地で様々なイベントが開かれる。主催者側も訪れる人も、安全には十分に気を配ってもらいたい。
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 6, 2008)
（2008年8月6日01時54分 読売新聞）
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