The death of a 12-year-old boy has seen an indoor ski slope organiser fined £100,000 for failing to carry out suitable and sufficient risk assessments for tobogganing activities.
The boy died while at a friend’s birthday party at a Snowdome in September 2021. While tobogganing down the main ski slope, he collided with a staff member who was walking along the slope. The staff member fell backward onto him, who sustained fatal head injuries.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigators found that the company did not adequately ensure the safety of its customers during the tobogganing activity at the facility.
The investigation also revealed that the company lacked an adequate risk assessment for tobogganing activities and had not thoroughly considered all individuals who might be present on the slope during these activities. There was no effective system in place for managing the risks of collisions between toboggans and pedestrians, including the necessary information, instruction, training, or supervision.
At Telford Magistrates’ Court, the company pleaded guilty a to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act. As well as the £100,000 fine, it was ordered to pay £14,534 in prosecution costs.
Employers are required by law to protect both their employees and others from harm and assessing the risk is just one part of the overall process
‘[The HSE’s] risk assessment guidance may be more commonly used for workplaces such as factories and construction sites, but the same principles apply for busy venues like indoor ski slopes,’ explained Nathan Cook, senior enforcement lawyer for the HSE. ‘The possible risks to people from equipment and the movement of visitors and staff needs to be thought through.’ ‘This [case] should act as a reminder that venues and employers must ensure suitable and sufficient risk assessments are in place and employees are provided with sufficient safe systems of work, information, instructions, training, and supervision,’ he added.
SOURCE – IOSH
