Measure Would Toughen Mass. Regs On Escalators

The state Senate has approved a measure that would toughen inspection requirements on escalators and elevators.

The budget amendment adopted by senators on Thursday was filed in memory of Mark DiBona, a 4-year-old Dudley boy who fell to his death from an escalator at the Auburn Mall in March. It would require that all escalators and elevators in the state have valid inspection certificates before they can operate and that a new inspection be performed before certificates are renewed.

The escalator involved in the accident had been inspected in December, but investigators found that inspectors failed to properly close a small gap between the escalator and a wall. Two inspectors were suspended and could be fired.

The measure would impose fines of $1,000 per day on violators.