Shropshire outdoor centre ordered to pay £15,000 for safety lapse after girl plunged 20ft

The managers of Live the Adventure Ltd, based at The Old Vicarage Centre in Stottesdon near Bridgnorth, previously admitted breaching health and safety regulations after the 11-year-old suffered multiple fractures to her foot and endured months of treatment following the fall on June 27, 2013.

They were fined £5,000 and ordered to pay court costs of £10,000.

Representatives of the firm appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court today over one count of contravening health and safety regulations in a case brought by Shropshire Council's health and community protection department.

Live the Adventure Ltd is operated by Ant and Steph Eddies-Davies.

Mr Nigel Lawrence, prosecuting, told the court that the fall happened after a harness, lanyard and carabiner had been used in such as way as to create a 'false clipping' which led to a rubber retainer on the harness taking the weight of the child rather than the load bearing carabiner.

He said that the pupil from Newtown School was making her way across a rope course called the Tyrolean Traverse when her lanyard connecting her to an overhead wire became unclipped which led to her falling to the ground.

He added that before the accident took place an Adventure Activities Licensing Service inspector had visited the site and had recommended that a technical advisor be installed with a remit of looking at the rope course. This was not implemented.

Mr Oliver Campbell for Live the Adventure Ltd said: "The centre was advised to appoint a technical advisor for its rope course as it had done for other activities."

He added that Mr Eddies-Davies, who has trained members of the Metropolitan Police and the fire service in the use of ropes, thought he had sufficient experience to not need the appointment of such a person.

He added: "The company regret that Miss Jones suffered serious injuries and regret that it made a mistake in not seeking technical advice for the rope course."

In sentencing Judge Peter Barrie said: "This case arises from a very unfortunate accident when a school girl was attending a residential course at the outdoor adventure centre.

"She was undertaking the Tyrolean Traverse. She was wearing a harness and was secured by the appropriate lanyard. The securing between the lanyard and the harness was via a carabiner. Part of that equipment was a rubber retainer which was intended to serve a purpose of ensuring that the carabiner took the strain of the weight of the child.

"Because there had been a 'false clipping', her weight was taken by the rubber retainer. She fell to the ground and suffered serious injuries to her foot.

"There is an excellent health and safety record at the centre and there had been no significant accidents. The equipment used was accepted by the inspectors as having every appearance of being suitable for the task.

"There was a member of staff available to check that the safety harness worn by each child was appropriately worn and that member of staff failed to observe there had been a 'false clipping'.

"It is a puzzle as to how the 'false clipping' came to happen. No one at the centre had the risk of 'false clipping' at the fore front of their minds.

"The centre failed to appoint a technical advisor with regard to the rope activities as had been suggested.

"There is evidence that a number of people did not have knowledge of 'false clipping' and it is not a universally known risk.

"This was an isolated incident and there have been extremely complex matters to consider."

Live The Adventure said it works with groups from all over the world, including schoolchildren, adults of all ages and abilities, and is also a training provider for many outdoor governing bodies in the UK and abroad.

Live The Adventure said: "We are deeply sorry that this incident occurred and are grateful to the judge for acknowledging that the risk of false clipping was not universally understood across the industry at the time of the incident. This has subsequently become better known across the industry and is a valuable lesson.

"The judge also noted our exemplary safety record and acknowledged that even the employment of a technical advisor may not have prevented it from happening.

"This is the first serious incident in our history and we have welcomed more than 500,000 people to our centre at Stottesdon over the last quarter of a century."

The family run centre works with groups from all over the world, including schoolchildren, adults of all ages and abilities, as well as being a training provider for many outdoor governing bodies here and abroad.