An escalator is a moving staircase and typically involves a conveyor or transport device generally used for carrying people between floors of a building in a conveying direction. The device comprises a motor-driven chain of individual, linked steps that move up or down on tracks in the conveying direction, allowing the step treads to remain horizontal. Commonly, there is provided a balustrade on both sides of the escalator or moving walk, on which a handrail is provided, which also moves in conveying direction essentially at the same speed as the steps.
Escalators are used to move pedestrian traffic in places where elevators would be impractical. Principal areas of usage include locations such as department stores, malls, airports and other transit stations, train stations and public buildings.
Escalators have the capacity to move large numbers of people, and they can be placed in the same physical space as a staircase. They have no waiting interval (except during very heavy traffic). They can be used to guide people toward main exits or special exhibits. And they may be weatherproofed for outdoor use.
As a safety measure, escalators are required to have moving handrails that keep pace with the movement of the steps, as mentioned above. The handrail assists passengers to steady themselves, especially when stepping onto the moving steps.
However, handrails can also pose a danger for passengers. For example, in case a passenger positions himself on an entrance landing of an escalator, and inadvertently comes into contact with a handrail moving away from the entrance landing, i.e. in the conveying direction of the escalator, he can lose his balance, and might even fall over a balustrade. As a further example, in case a passenger enters an exit landing of an escalator, he might inadvertently contact a section of the handrail entering a newel end cap of the escalator, which may lead to injuries such as bruising or squashing of limbs.
Thus, a need exists to enhance the safety of transport devices such as escalators and moving walks. Accordingly, a need exists for transport devices such as escalators or moving walks that include a cover member. Likewise, a need exists for methods of retrofitting transport devices with such cover members.