Skiing Company Fined After Boy’s Tragic Death at Birthday Party

An indoor skiing company has received a £100,000 fine following an accident in which a 12-year-old boy died.

The boy was at a tobogganing party to celebrate a friend’s birthday. He was descending the main ski slope on a toboggan when it ran into the back of a member of staff who was…

Apr 17, 2025

Pexels zszen 12165452 1024x682

An indoor skiing company has received a £100,000 fine following an accident in which a 12-year-old boy died.

The boy was at a tobogganing party to celebrate a friend’s birthday. He was descending the main ski slope on a toboggan when it ran into the back of a member of staff who was conducting a slope walk. The member of staff fell backwards onto the boy, who tragically died at the scene from head injuries.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive found that the company had failed to ensure the safety of its customers while they were tobogganing at the venue. It did not have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment for tobogganing activities and had not fully considered all persons likely to be on the slope during tobogganing. As a result, there was no safe system of work, information, instruction, training or supervision to manage the risk of collisions between toboggans and pedestrians.

The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. It was fined £100,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,534.

Employer Pays for Bypassing Trade Union – Supreme Court Ruling

Employers cannot with impunity make direct offers to trade union members with the aim of pre-empting the collective bargaining process. The Supreme Court made that point in confirming awards of compensation to 57 workers whose employer bypassed their trade union in search of a pay deal. The manual and shop floor workers were all members of a trade union. Following a ballot of workers, their employer recognised the union on a non-legally binding basis and they commenced formal annual pay…

Employer Cleared of Liability for Disruptive Pupil’s Attack on Teacher

Teaching troubled children whose behaviour may be challenging, even violent, is not for the faint hearted. However, as the Court of Appeal emphasised in an important ruling, schools can only do what is reasonable to protect staff from injury. The case concerned a teacher who was injured when a six-year-old child became violent whilst being segregated in a room set aside for calming down disruptive pupils. Her soft tissue injuries healed within weeks, but she lodged a substantial compensation…

‘Cheeky Monkey’ Comment a Racial Slur in a Workplace Context, ET Rules

Comments like ‘cheeky monkey’ may be viewed as entirely innocent in one context but can have racial undertones in another. An Employment Tribunal (ET) made that point in upholding a racial harassment claim brought by a Somali man who was referred to as such by a co-worker. After the man, who worked for a cleaning contractor, lodged proceedings following his dismissal, the ET found on the balance of probabilities that the co-worker had, on separate occasions, called him a cheeky monkey and told…