PURPOSE: To rapidly remove a foreign material such as a shoe put between a skirt guard panel and a footstep and safely rescue a passenger by providing an electromagnetic switch synchronous with a stop switch, and freely moving one end of the skirt guard panel by its operation.

CONSTITUTION: When a shoe of a passenger is put between a skirt guard panel 22 and a footstep 11 during the operation of an escalator, a limit switch 24 which is a stop switch is operated to stop the escalator. An electromagnetic switch 25 synchronous with the limit switch is operated to attract a plunger 25a brought close thereto by its electromagnetic force, and a clamp 28 is fallen downward through an arm 25b. Consequently, the clamp 28 is released from a hook 27, and the skirt guard panel 22 can be circularly moved with a hinge 26 as the center. Hence, the shoe put between the skirt guard panel 22 and the footstep 11 can be rapidly removed, and the passenger can be safely rescued.