Creative team work solves a shopping centre safety challenge

Abstract
Staff at Shopping Plaza Sul in Brazil came up with an innovative and cost effective
solution to improve visitor safety on their escalators. Following a distressing video
posted on social media that showed the risks escalators can pose to children, the
shopping centres site manager challenged employees to develop a solution that could
be easily installed to minimise the possibility of a similar incident occurring in the
centre. After the development of a prototype and a period of experimentation, the
team developed a safety feature that effectively eliminated the risk.
Introduction
In May 2013, a video began circulating on YouTube of a child at a shopping centre in
Russia who was dragged by an escalator handrail over a balustrade and fell over
eighteen metres onto the floor below. In response to this video, Shopping Plaza Suls
site manager immediately realised the importance of protecting customers so a similar
incident would never happen.
He set out to identify the root cause of the accident and come up with a feature to
prevent its occurrence at the shopping centre. He decided to empower staff to come
up with a solution which offered the potential to harness their in-house specialised
knowledge of customer behaviour and escalator safety, and foster a sense of
innovation and creativity within the team.
Background
Sonae Sierra has robust procedures in place to ensure that safety and health risks are
quickly identified and prevented. All Sonae Sierra shopping centres implement the
procedures defined by our Safety, Health and Environment Management System
(SHEMS); we monitor and evaluate safety and health (S&H) performance on a regular
basis and provide extensive training and awareness raising on S&H risks to all
shopping centre users.
While the accident in question is rare, Sonae Sierras proactive SHE Policy dictates that
even the most unlikely risks must be analysed and protected against. Nevertheless, the
fact that it had only recently emerged as a recognised risk created a whole host of
challenges.
Challenge
In producing a totally new product from scratch, the Shopping Plaza Sul team were
entering unchartered territory. It was therefore inevitable that they would face
stumbling blocks along the way. But there were some key challenges that were
acknowledged from the outset as being of critical importance.

Firstly, the device had to be reasonably priced. Secondly, it had to satisfy the escalator
manufacturers, Atlas Schindler, and ease their concerns over its potential impact upon
the escalators long-term functionality. A further complexity was the ambiguity over
where liability would lie if a customer injured themselves on the escalator.
Atlas Schindler are responsible for all the features on the escalator and although they
were a supportive partner in the process, they were naturally wary of incorporating
any new features that had not been through their rigorous product development
process. How could a team with little experience of product development overcome
organisational challenges of this magnitude?
Solution
The team found solutions to these fundamental challenges by remaining adaptable and
making iterative changes throughout the development process.
The first stage was to systematically identify the cause of the accident. The team used
a fishbone diagram to ensure that every potential factor leading to the event was
factored into the design process. Once everyone was satisfied that nothing had been
left unaccounted for, they began designing the prototype.
The team used cardboard to mock up the design before setting up a 3D computer
model to test whether the proposed design successfully eliminated the targeted risk,
without creating any new hazards.
Figure 1: Computer model of the safety feature

Figure 2: The prototype of the safety

feature

A prototype was commissioned from a

local company, but upon its installation, it
became apparent that the design blocked
the emergency button and impeded
access to the maintenance door.
A second prototype was therefore drawn
up and constructed to avoid these
problems. The team engaged regularly
with Atlas Schindler and took on board a
number of their recommendations;
namely the installation of a foot to
provide further support, along with
brushes on the edges of the device.

Figure 3: The finished barrier

As well as acting as a practical and

effective safety feature, the barriers
design means it can be used as novel
communications tool. The shopping
centre developed specially designed
posters for the barriers that inform
customers of their purpose, highlighting
Sonae Sierras concern for their health
and safety. There have also been a
number of external advertising
campaigns using the barrier as a
billboard, which have provided an
additional source of advertising revenue.

Closure
In-house knowledge is all too often neglected at the expense of external expertise, yet
the efforts of the Shopping Plaza Sul team demonstrate Sonae Sierras determination
to create the safest possible environment for its customers and its commitment to
promoting innovation within the business. There were no suitable products on the
market so Sonae Sierra looked to its own employees to come up with a solution. With
limited research and development costs, they came up with a simple, functional
solution that reduces safety risks for our shopping centre visitors particularly children
thus supporting our long-term objective for zero accidents. Furthermore, by looking
internally and empowering its own staff, Sonae Sierra fostered a sense of creativity
within the team.
As the safety risk was not unique to Shopping Plaza Sul, Sonae Sierra in Portugal
worked with its suppliers in a parallel process to develop a solution that could be
applied to all escalators, regardless of their make and design. The solution, which
closely mirrors that developed by Shopping Plaza Sul, has now been rolled out across
40% of the Companys shopping centres.