Theme parks and fairgrounds must make sure that all staff are properly trained and supervised, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has insisted this month. The warning follows the death of 16 year old Hayley Williams, who fell 121ft from the Hydro Ride at Oakwood, Pembrokeshire in April 2004. Oakwood Leisure Ltd was fined £250,000 after admitting failing to ensure visitors' safety.
Swansea Crown Court heard that Oakwood did not have a proper training scheme in place for staff overseeing rides and that they had failed to make sure passengers were safely restrained on the high-speed rollercoaster ride. CCTV footage showed 70.8% of passengers did not have their restraints tested on the day of the incident.
Judge Mr Justice Lloyd-Jones said, "This was a failure on a massive scale amounting to a grave breach of ensuring the public were not exposed to risks to their safety. There was the potential of very serious injuries to a large number of people. The heart of this matter lies in critical failures in the supervision and monitoring of staff carrying out their duty."
Following the case, the HSE said the majority of accidents at theme parks and fairgrounds were down to management failings, as was the case with Oakwood. HSE inspector Phil Nicolle commented, "This tragic case should serve as a warning to all fairground operators that safety must be their top priority. Our investigation showed that there were systematic failures by Oakwood to ensure their staff were properly trained and supervised to make sure they were following the basic safety procedures which are essential for rides like the Hydro. No death or serious injury at a fairground or theme park is acceptable and proper control of hazards are essential."
