NEWS
ALTON TOWERS’ OWNERS FINED £5MILLION OVER
SMILER CRASH The owners of Alton Towers have been fined £5million today for the rollercoaster collision in June which left 16 people seriously injured.
Two young women on the Smiler ride suffered leg amputations and others suffered severe injuries when their carriage collided with a stationary carriage on the same track last year.
Stafford Crown Court heard that on the day of the incident engineers overrode the Smiler’s control system without the knowledge and understanding to ensure it was safe to do so.
A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found no fault with the track, the cars, or the control system that keeps the cars apart from each other when the ride is running.
Investigators found the root cause to be a lack of detailed, robust arrangements for making safety critical decisions. The whole system, from training through to fixing
MANUFACTURING COMPANY PROSECUTED AFTER RED ARROW
PILOT DEATH The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has informed an ejection seat manufacturer that it will be prosecuted following the death
faults, was not strong enough to stop a series of errors by staff when working with people on the ride.
Following the incident Alton Towers made technical improvements to the ride and changed their systems.
Merlin Attractions Operation Ltd of 3 Market Close, Poole, Dorset pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act etc, 1974 and were fined £5million with costs of £69,955.40.
Neil Craig, Head of Operations for HSE in the Midlands said: “People visiting theme parks should be able to enjoy themselves safely. On 2
of Flt Lt Sean Cunningham on 8th November 2011.
HSE’s Inspector David Butter said: “HSE has today informed Martin Baker Aircraft Ltd that it will be prosecuted for an alleged breach of health and safety law. The charges relate to the death of Flt Lt Sean Cunningham in November 2011 at RAF Scampton.
“We have conducted a thorough
June last year Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd failed to protect their customers, they badly let them down.
“This avoidable incident happened because Merlin failed to put in place systems to allow engineers to work safely on the ride while it was running. This made it all too easy for a whole series of unchecked mistakes, not just one push of a button, to result in tragic consequences.
“Since the incident Alton Towers have made improvements to the ride and their safety protocols, and the lessons learned have been shared industry wide.”
investigation and consider there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring a prosecution.”
HSE was handed primacy of the investigation following a MOD Service Inquiry, investigations by the civilian and military police, and technical investigations involving the Military Aviation Authority and the Military Air Accident Investigation Branch.
Red Arrows pilot, Flt Lt Cunningham died after his ejector seat initiated during the pre-flight checks of his Hawk XX177 jet while on the ground and stationary at the Lincolnshire airbase.
Martin Baker Aircraft Company Ltd, Lower Road, Higher Denham, bear Uxbridge will appear at Lincoln Magistrates Court, date to be confirmed, to face a Section 3 Charge under the Health and Safety of Work Act.
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