04/10/2010 - Owner fined for fairground accident
A fairground ride owner and a safety inspector have been fined after two people were thrown from an attraction during the British Grand Prix weekend in 2008.
The two men were thrown off the "Tagada" machine on July 6, 2008, with both of them suffering back injuries and bruising that have now healed.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigators discovered that corroded structural steel work on the seating caused the men to be launched from the ground-level spinning ride.
On September 30, Aylesbury Crown Court heard that the two men were hurled from the attraction at speed in the Silverstone grounds, Buckinghamshire.
The incident highlights the need for business owners to ensure they have liability insurance to cover accidents happening with members of the public.
Michael Searle, from South Ockendon, Essex, who owned the ride, was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,000 in legal costs. He admitted breaching Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
Michael Rodgers, the director of Fairground Inspection Services Ltd, from Pymm Leys Lane, Groby, Leicestershire, was fined £3,000 with £2,000 costs, after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
His company, which is registered at Plot 10, Five Counties Caravan Park, Stretton Road, Rutland, Leicestershire, pleaded guilty to the same offence and was given a £7,000 fine with £2,000 costs.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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