Quality-inspection author-ities have called for the training of more elevator maintenance professionals and urged greater public awareness of elevator safety issues, after a string of deadly accidents that involved malfunctioning equipment.

The rapid increase in the number of elevators has posed a great challenge to their maintenance, said Chen Gang, deputy head of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Chen made the remarks on Monday at the start of a weeklong program on promoting elevator and escalator safety.