Nervous riding an escalator? You may have reason to be

SEA-TAC INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT We have all been on one, the escalator, and we know that serious injuries can happen

Take, for example, the 2012 incident at Bellevue Square when seven people were hurt when the escalator malfunctioned.

But state officials say mechanical problems are to blame for only a small number of cases.

On weekdays, about 100,000 travelers will come and go from Sea-Tac Airport, and the gridlock often starts on escalators.

I get nervous that someone is going to stop at the top and I have my bag and I am going to crash into them, traveler Bob Howe said.

There were more than 300 escalator-related injuries in the past five years across Washington.

Our percentage of the usage of escalators is really high compared to anywhere else in the state, the general manager of Aviation Maintenance, Stuart Mathews, said.

They see it time and time again travelers in a rush losing their balance. Signs remind riders to hold on to handrails but many are gripping on to their luggage instead.

The state Department of Labor and Industries is brainstorming different ways to make escalators safer.

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Nervous riding an escalator? You may have reason to be