15/09/2010 - Newcastle City Council fined by HSE
Newcastle City Council could be forced to pay higher liability insurance rates after a five-year-old girl was injured by an exhibit at one of their museums.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) saw the council fined £12,000, with £7,773 costs, after it admitted breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 at Newcastle Upon Tyne Magistrates' Court.
The girl, who was on a visit to the North East with her family, needed immediate surgery after she attended the Discovery Museum in Newcastle. The serious injury occurred when she placed her hand in an opening of the "Floating Air" exhibit in August of last year.
Rotating blades that fed the air flow to the machine were not properly covered and her hand was injured when it came into contact with them. Investigations by the HSE revealed that the museum had no measures in place to ensure the exhibit was safe for museum-goers to use.
Copyright © Press Association 2010
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