Watch the news report on the following link: BBC News Report Lightwater Valley Accident
This is a dreadful case where the combined failings of a manufacturer, the operating company and a maintenance engineer led to the death of a young girl. The latest news report is that the three responsible parties had been hit with fines totalling about £150,000, which really isn't much for the death of a 20 year old girl.
Although this accident happened on a large theme park ride, there is no doubt that the tabloid press will once again run stories about the impending slaughter on funfairs up and down the country without once bothering to let the facts get in the way.
Obviously I have a vested interest in presenting the industry in a good light so I can in no way be said to be unbiased. For this reason I suggest you click on the following link, Funfair Safety Report from Health And Safety Executive.
This is a report from the H&SE, the government body responsible amongst other things for ensuring the safety of the public at funfairs in the U.K. The report contains a lot of statistical evidence which makes heavy reading, but 3 facts stood out for me which I will repeat here,
1 A pessimistic estimate (H&SE description) of the chances of being killed or seriously injured on a funfair ride is 1 in 83 million.
2 You are 12 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on your way to the fair, than you are once you arrive there.
3 Statistically there is a greater chance of being struck by lightening than there is of being killed on a fairground ride!
However none of these statistics will prove to be of any comfort to the family of Gemma Savage, and our thoughts and condolences are with them.
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This is a dreadful case where the combined failings of a manufacturer, the operating company and a maintenance engineer led to the death of a young girl. The latest news report is that the three responsible parties had been hit with fines totalling about £150,000, which really isn't much for the death of a 20 year old girl.
Although this accident happened on a large theme park ride, there is no doubt that the tabloid press will once again run stories about the impending slaughter on funfairs up and down the country without once bothering to let the facts get in the way.
Obviously I have a vested interest in presenting the industry in a good light so I can in no way be said to be unbiased. For this reason I suggest you click on the following link, Funfair Safety Report from Health And Safety Executive.
This is a report from the H&SE, the government body responsible amongst other things for ensuring the safety of the public at funfairs in the U.K. The report contains a lot of statistical evidence which makes heavy reading, but 3 facts stood out for me which I will repeat here,
1 A pessimistic estimate (H&SE description) of the chances of being killed or seriously injured on a funfair ride is 1 in 83 million.
2 You are 12 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured on your way to the fair, than you are once you arrive there.
3 Statistically there is a greater chance of being struck by lightening than there is of being killed on a fairground ride!
However none of these statistics will prove to be of any comfort to the family of Gemma Savage, and our thoughts and condolences are with them.
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