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HSE Warns Businesses over Inflatables

September 8th, 2009

The HSE has cautioned businesses, which use inflatable devices for leisure activities to ensure that their operators are suitably trained to handle such devices and are informed of the fact that the devices need to be anchored to the ground.

This warning was issued following the prosecution of Robert Andrew Phinn, a Shrewsbury operator, who pleaded guilty for infringement of section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was awarded a 12-month conditional discharge and asked to pay an additional £500 towards costs by Oswestry Magistrates’ Court.

The incident which invited this court decision occurred on 22^nd of June last year when an inflatable bungee hired from Fun-4-All firm by the Connexions and Youth Services division of Shropshire County Council for the West Midlands Show lifted from the ground due to strong winds and hit some bystanders. Phinn was a partner of Fun-4-All and was responsible for providing proper safety training to the operators who were handling the equipment at the show.

Hilary Lidbury, HSE investigating inspector, feels that self-employed people and other employers have a moral obligation to ensure safety of even those people who are not employed with them, but might be at risk due to their actions. Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions to employees with regard to health and safety issues; an accredited NEBOSH Certificate course can assist companies in training staff to be aware of the proper health and safety procedures for all kinds of workplace situations.

Lidbury said that Phinn should have adequately trained the Connexions and Youth Services team and directed them to avoid using the inflatable bungee during heavy winds. Phinn had also failed to train them on ways of providing the anchorage and ballast to keep the inflatable equipment on the ground during heavy winds.

Lidbury added that these inflatable equipments are prone to being lifted in air even during light winds, which is likely to pose a threat to the lives of people in close vicinity of the equipments or kids playing on it.

Though not doubting the intentions of Phinn, Lidbury however added that his failure to understand the dangers posed in case of ill-trained handling of bungee runs led to the spoiling of a pleasant family occasion.

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