This latest accident happened in late September at Olympia, when David Upton of Unusual Rigging caught his foot whilst fitting a banner to the entrance of the Grand Hall and fell 18ft. Fortunately, it didn’t cost him his life, but it has left him paralysed, and an investigation is now underway by Hammersmith and Fulham Council.
This latest incident has refocused attention on the two earlier fatalies at Earls Court - the death of Kevin O’Brien, a freelance lighting designer working for the SpotCo, in December 1999 and the subsequent death of David Mott, a contractor working for Unusual Rigging, in June this year. L&SI has contacted both the Environmental Services Department of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, the authority responsible for investigating the December fatality, and the Health and Safety Executive, the enforcing authority for the June fatality.
The investigation concerning O’Brien is now complete and the results are currently in the hands of Kensington and Chelsea Borough’s legal department who will decide what action to take next. What that conclusion will be is anybody’s guess, but the inquest on O’Brien, who wasn’t actually an experienced rigger, found that not only was he not on the approved list and somehow gained unauthorised access to the roof of the venue, but that evidence of both drugs and alcohol were found in his blood.
The second fatality involved David Mott, who was carrying out remedial work in the roof of Earls Court under the direction of the venue’s rigging contractor, Unusual Rigging. The investigation into his death is being carried out by the Health & Safety Executive, since it comes within CDM - Construction (Design & Management) regulations. The HSE are still deliberating, but are expected to deliver their findings next year.
Both Earls Court & Olympia and Unusual Rigging have been quick to respond to these events, ECO investing over £650,000 in improving safety at the venue. After the first accident, new control measures were put in place, CCTV cameras were installed in the roof and a new card-operated turnstile door system was installed to prevent a reoccurence of someone bypassing the phone-operated one. More recently, following consultation with the HSE and UR, Earls Court has also increased the number of catwalks, and installed a safety-net system. According to Alan Law, health and safety manager at Earls Court: "This will be a passive system which will operate alongside the safety line system and catwalks." Following the most recent incident, ECO has also extended working platforms at Olympia and removed some of the building’s canopies.
Unusual, for its own part, is continually reviewing its safety procedures and has been proactive in putting in place systems to ensure that further accidents are prevented. It has also moved swiftly to address one of the key issues in this - the lack of a recognised certificate of competency for riggers - by creating its own certification procedure. In addition, it has also begun a programme of random alcohol and drug testing, along the lines of those employed at The Dome.
Such measures will go a long way to addressing people’s concerns, but these three cases clearly demonstrate the need for the industry to work together to put in place some formal standards and qualifications. Since legislation has put the onus on the venue and its control and supervision measures, the venue and contractor, rightly or wrongly, will always find themselves in the loop of blame. If the HSE decide there is a need for change, its decision could have major implications for every venue in the country. As could a proposal currently in place for an amendment to the European Union ‘Use of Work Equi
