Man jailed for illegal inspections of play equipment

Whilst this blog does not arise from an accident at work, I was shocked to read about a Chester man, who has been jailed for more than 14 months after repeatedly ignoring a legal order preventing him from inspecting inflatable play equipment.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Peter McCormack (previously known as Peter Coltilda and Peter John Morrell), of Garden Lane, Chester, for carrying out inspections of inflatables and issuing test certificates for them in contravention of a Prohibition Notice from HSE, and for carrying out unsafe seam repairs to one.

Caernarfon Crown Court heard that examples of wrongdoing by Mr McCormack, aged 77, included:

• An inspection of a pool inflatable at Poynton Leisure Centre, Cheshire, on 15 July 2010 and the issuing of the certificate two days later
• An inspection of a bouncy castle in Carterton, Oxfordshire, on 23 August 2010 and the issuing of the certificate a day later
• Another bouncy castle inspection at Abbey Leisure Centre in Selby, Yorkshire, on 19 August 2010
• One at Tadcaster, Yorkshire, on 3 August 2011
• One at Selby Park, Yorkshire, on 3 August 2011
• He repaired one of the bouncy castles at Selby Park poorly on 3 August 2011, so there was a risk of children's fingers and toes being trapped in the open seams.

The court also heard today that in these illegal inspections, Mr McCormack failed to spot defects, which could have caused injuries to children.

He pleaded guilty to seven breaches of Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and one of Section 3(2) of the Act and was sentenced to 62 weeks in prison. He has already served 78 days imposed at an earlier hearing for breaching bail conditions.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE principal inspector Steve Flanagan said:

"Inflatable play equipment must be properly maintained and inspected to make sure it is safe for children to use. HSE served the initial Prohibition Notice in 2008 because Peter McCormack's work was substandard and unsafe.

"By breaching that Prohibition Notice repeatedly - and even ignoring a direct order from a judge at Shrewsbury Crown Court in 2010 - Mr McCormack has shown that he never had any intention to stop illegally inspecting inflatables.

"He has shown utter disregard for the safety of children and for the law and has cheated the companies he issued the certificates for, by taking their money when he shouldn't have done the work.

"If people who carry out illicit or poor inspections of inflatables are not stopped, it's only a matter of time before a child suffers a serious injury."

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