Code 3 for the fall!
Code 3 for the fall!
Code 3 for the...wait...you fell over what?
Escalator falls are serious business. Not only do they hurt because of all the saw tooth edges, but they are designed to mash anything even slightly pliable without stopping until someone remembers where the shut down button is.
I am currently researching new ways to encourage people to remain still on escalators, more on that later.
First, the life or death emergency at the escalator. Well, kind of. Well, there is one not far away.
I arrive on the scene to find a woman in her 50s on the ground near a suitcase on a tile floor. It's a bit crowded and often folks will hurry around not realizing there are all kinds of obstacles when folks are dragging bags and such. She is rubbing her ankle in a fashion that makes me wonder how much it can hurt if pressing it so hard. One of the Administrative Managers has arrived and is already speaking to her. These Managers are great. They have the power to flex ANY resource to our needs. In this kind of case I ask for the cameras to scroll back and see if we can figure out what happened.
Two reasons I do this: First so that I can find out what kind of fall, if they struck their head, broke their fall etc. Second, so that we may learn how to avoid another fall. Was it a ridge where the tile meets the carpet? Some other obstruction we can remove or better mark?
Most times we learn from it. This time was only slightly different.
According to the security office, the video shows the patient place her bag on the ground, step away briefly, then walk right into it, falling to the ground.
No amount of signage will remove that obstacle I'm afraid.
Code 3 for the fall!
Code 3 for the...wait...you fell over what?
Escalator falls are serious business. Not only do they hurt because of all the saw tooth edges, but they are designed to mash anything even slightly pliable without stopping until someone remembers where the shut down button is.
I am currently researching new ways to encourage people to remain still on escalators, more on that later.
First, the life or death emergency at the escalator. Well, kind of. Well, there is one not far away.
I arrive on the scene to find a woman in her 50s on the ground near a suitcase on a tile floor. It's a bit crowded and often folks will hurry around not realizing there are all kinds of obstacles when folks are dragging bags and such. She is rubbing her ankle in a fashion that makes me wonder how much it can hurt if pressing it so hard. One of the Administrative Managers has arrived and is already speaking to her. These Managers are great. They have the power to flex ANY resource to our needs. In this kind of case I ask for the cameras to scroll back and see if we can figure out what happened.
Two reasons I do this: First so that I can find out what kind of fall, if they struck their head, broke their fall etc. Second, so that we may learn how to avoid another fall. Was it a ridge where the tile meets the carpet? Some other obstruction we can remove or better mark?
Most times we learn from it. This time was only slightly different.
According to the security office, the video shows the patient place her bag on the ground, step away briefly, then walk right into it, falling to the ground.
No amount of signage will remove that obstacle I'm afraid.
Comments