A three year old child suffered a serious injury to his hand when it was caught between the wheels and the track of a children’s fairground train ride at an annual event called the ‘Shiremoor Treat’, North Tyneside Magistrates’ Court has heard.
The HSE said the simple provision of a fence could have prevented the accident.
The incident happened on the 6 July 2013, when the three year old child was visiting the fairground with his grandmother and cousins.
He had been on the bouncy castle and was sitting on the steps of the ‘Mickey Express’ train ride to put on his shoes. While his grandmother was tying his laces he leant back and stretched his arms behind him. The train started up and ran over his fingers. The child’s fingers required surgery and stitches but he made a good recovery.
On Friday 18 September 2015, ride operator Jamie Clark, of Serlby Park, Hetton Le Hole, Tyne and Wear was fined a total of £1,000, and ordered to pay £600 in costs after pleading guilty to an offence under Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
HSE Inspector Shuna Rank said: “This was an entirely preventable accident. The risk of trapping was obvious and should have been identified by the ride operator in his risk assessment. The provision of a fence around the ride was a simple precaution that would have prevented the accident.”
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