Council pays GBP 22,000 over theatre fall
October 10, 2008
A theatre's owner has been fined £45,000 after an accident in which a teacher fell down a broken lift shaft.
Carmarthenshire county council also paid costs of £7,712 and a victim surcharge of £15 after the accident.
The secondary school teacher fell into an opening in the stage and shattered his right arm and eye socket, as well as experiencing multiple fractures.
Correct precautions to prevent the risk of a fall including safety barriers and a covering for the shaft were not in use.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Clare Owen claims even short falls can change the accident victim's life.
"The system in place at the theatre was extremely informal, with no written system in place, and reliant heavily on employee experience and common sense," she says.
Warning this was an obvious risk, she states the council needed to implement simple precautions to safeguard against accidents.
Earlier this year, the HSE launched a campaign called Shattered Lives in order to raise awareness of the damage slips, trips and falls cause to worker's lives.
Carmarthenshire county council also paid costs of £7,712 and a victim surcharge of £15 after the accident.
The secondary school teacher fell into an opening in the stage and shattered his right arm and eye socket, as well as experiencing multiple fractures.
Correct precautions to prevent the risk of a fall including safety barriers and a covering for the shaft were not in use.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Clare Owen claims even short falls can change the accident victim's life.
"The system in place at the theatre was extremely informal, with no written system in place, and reliant heavily on employee experience and common sense," she says.
Warning this was an obvious risk, she states the council needed to implement simple precautions to safeguard against accidents.
Earlier this year, the HSE launched a campaign called Shattered Lives in order to raise awareness of the damage slips, trips and falls cause to worker's lives.
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