BCA suspends use of escalator at White Sands mall after 4 year-old’s shoe gets lodged in it

SINGAPORE — A 4-year-old girl was injured after her shoe was lodged in an escalator at White Sands shopping mall on Friday night (Aug 11). 

The girl’s foot was trapped in an escalator at the Pasir Ris mall after her shoe got lodged in it, and had to be rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers. 

The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) has since suspended the operation of the escalator at the mall.  

According to the BCA, a passer-by had activated the emergency stop button when he saw what had happened. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was notified around 9.30pm. The girl sustained injuries to her foot and was taken to KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital for treatment. 

TODAY understands that the girl has since been discharged. 

Engineers from the BCA inspected the escalator following the incident but “found that the gap in the escalator where the shoe was lodged was compliant with the prevailing code requirements”, the authority said in a statement on Saturday. 

Nevertheless, the BCA suspended the operation of the escalator and has instructed the mall to engage an authorised examiner (AE) to conduct further investigation into the incident. 

“The AE will also be required to recommend repair works on the escalator where one of the steps was misaligned as a result of the rescue operation,” the BCA said.

This is not the first time an accident involving an escalator has occurred at White Sands mall. 

It was reported that in January, an escalator at the same mall buckled after a couple with a baby in a stroller just stepped off it.