I was recently at Hull fair a few weeks ago (it travels around the country, and was recently in Nottingham as Goose Fair) and it got me thinking about the strict health and safety legislation operators and ride manufacturers must adhere to.
I think it would be hard to find anyone who isn’t a fan of amusement parks and fairground rides. There are of course some of us (myself included) who are a little more inclined to the bigger and scarier rides to quench a thrill seeking thirst!
So it probably goes without saying that all rides (in particular the big ones!) are put through stringent health and safety checks to ensure nothing can go wrong. And there have been stories recently and in the past whereby negligence has resulted in ride users being seriously injured, or worse. Not to put anyone off the big ones of course!
An article on http://www.rideaccidents.com (if you like the big rides you may not want to read too many of the articles on this site; the clue is in the name!) involving a 15 year old girl who was ejected from her seat on the Re-Mix II. The youngster collided with a fence and was unfortunately hospitalised, but luckily without life-threatening injuries.
Post accident investigations concluded that the young girl slipped underneath her overhead restraints after initially the investigators were baffled as to how she came to be ejected from her seat. No mechanical or operation fault was found.
Since the incident, the manufacturers have refitted the ride with a new rail to prevent a similar accident from occurring again. Manufacturers of similar rides have followed suit, fitting the rails as a further safety precaution.
Stories such as this demonstrate the importance of thoroughness when it comes to health and safety. Although in this case the manufacturers immediately acted to find a solution, it is often the case that employers of injured employees or victims of a manufacturing fault take no action. Which is why it is all the more important to take the necessary legal action!
Claims for compensation aren’t just about the injured victims being compensated for their unfortunate losses; they can lead to negligent parties changing to prevent similar incidents occurring again.
A big example is accidents at work. An employee taking legal action will often result in the employers changing procedures and improving training in order to prevent a repeat of the incident; therefore preventing anyone else from coming to harm.
