美国马萨诸萨州公共安全委员会决定对全州975台自动扶梯进行彻底检查，缘由是3月1日，一名4岁男孩在马萨诸萨州一家超市中的电扶梯上跌落至死，此事件让安全部门开始关注整个州中电扶梯的安全问题。
　　州调查局认为，瑞士电梯制造公司迅达公司有可能会为此次死亡事件负责，迅达公司是世界最大的电扶梯制造商。
　　公共安全委员会委员Thomas G. Gatzunis在一次采访中称，那台导致死亡的电扶梯是迅达公司于2009年在马萨诸萨州一家超市里的Sears食品部安装的。
　　事发当时，男孩正在二楼的电扶梯上向下行驶，然后从电扶梯旁一个6英寸宽的缝隙中跌落了18尺，摔在一个站台上，脑部重伤而死。
　　Gatzunis称目前还不确定迅达公司是否对这个6英寸的缝隙负有责任，不过《马萨诸萨州安全条例》规定，电扶梯和强之间的缝隙不得超过5英寸。事正在调查当中。
　　如果公司承担责任，将被指控违反法律，并面临500美元的罚款。
　　这次覆盖全州的电扶梯检查主要检查其他电扶梯是否有和事故电扶梯一样的安全隐患，检察院还重点复查了其中25台电扶梯。去年，公共安全部为电梯及电扶梯检查投入550万美元。
　　Gatzunis说：“制造商安装时忽略了那个缝隙，这是不应该的。”
　　迅达公司发言人Kathy Rucki没有接受采访，她说公司正在配合调查，“事故根本原因还不知道，公司对男孩的死亡表示遗憾，我们都在为他和他的家人祈祷祝福。迅达公司是世界顶级电梯制造商，我们会为产品安全和公众安全负责。”

USA escalater death lets a inspection in state

　　State public safety officials expect to complete a sweeping re-inspection of all 975 of the state's escalators this week, in the wake of the death of 4-year-old Mark DiBona of Dudley, who fell from an escalator at the Auburn Mall March 11 in an accident that led to the suspension of two state escalator inspectors for overlooking a safety defect.
　　The accident focused attention on escalator safety and has led to a state investigation that appears to be centering on the Schindler Group, the Swiss-based company that is the world's largest manufacturer of escalators.
　　Public Safety Commissioner Thomas G. Gatzunis, in an interview with the Telegram & Gazette, said Schindler, whose Massachusetts office is in West Springfield, installed the escalator in 2009 at the mall's Sears store, where the 4-year-old was fatally injured.
　　The boy grabbed the moving rail of the down escalator with both hands on the second floor and was pulled through a 6-1/4 inch gap next to the escalator. He fell 18 feet onto a display case and suffered a severe head injury.
　　Whether Schindler was responsible for leaving the 6-1/4-inch gap in the escalator's plexiglass barrier — a violation of state safety codes that require no more than a 5-inch opening between the wall and escalator side — “is part of our investigation,” Mr. Gatzunis said.
　　If Schindler were found responsible, it could be considered a criminal violation and the company would be liable for a $500 fine, officials said.
　　The statewide re-inspection is focusing on identifying escalators with the same problems as the Sears escalator and correcting them, Mr. Gatzunis said. Inspectors are also closely re-examining all 25 escalators that had been inspected by the two suspended inspectors.
　　Neither is money a problem, the commissioner said. Last year, the Department of Public Safety received an infusion of $1.5 million in new funding, bringing its annual budget for elevators and escalators to about $5.5 million. The new funding enabled the department to hire 13 new inspectors.
　　“They missed it,” the commissioner said of the gap in the plexiglass. “It should not have been missed.”
　　Kathy Rucki, a spokeswoman for Schindler Elevator Corp. in Morristown, N.J., declined to be interviewed, but released a prepared statement saying the company is cooperating fully with the authorities' investigation.
　　“The precise cause of the incident is not yet known,” she said in the statement. “We are saddened by the tragic accident that took place on March 11 in Auburn, Mass., and our thoughts and prayers are with the victim's family and friends.
　　“As a leading manufacturer of elevators and escalators, Schindler is committed to the safety of its equipment, its workers and the riding public,” the statement continued.