Theme park staff 'exposed to risks'

Mr Matthews died in hospital after the accident in 2001

Workers at a Lancashire theme park, where a maintenance worker was killed by a rollercoaster, were exposed to "significant safety risks", a court has heard.

The owners of Camelot theme park, Prime Resorts, pleaded guilty to a health and safety charge at Preston Crown Court.

Harry Mathews, 59, of Merton Road, Highfield, Wigan, suffered horrific head injuries and died after he was struck by the ride at the Charnock Richard park nearly two years ago.

The court heard that The Gauntlet ride should not have been operating while the track was being greased and the risk to safety was caused by "fundamental management errors".

Mr Mathews was painting diesel on the track at ground level when he was struck by the rollercoaster, which was carrying five children and three adults.

The ride had broken down earlier in the day in October 2001 and so liquid lubricants were applied.

No written procedures

Nigel Lawrence, acting for the Health and Safety Executive, identified three distinct failures in procedures that had left the workers open to significant risks.

The first was that no written procedures were in place on how to undertake maintenance jobs on the Gauntlet, effectively leaving employees "to their own devices" as to what they thought was appropriate.

Secondly, most of the maintenance staff had received no training on how to fill in sheets dealing with matters like inspections.

And there was no suitable risk assessment for maintenance staff, Mr Lawrence said.

Safety improved

Simon Antrobus, acting for Prime Resorts, said the management deeply regretted the loss of an "experienced and respected" worker.

He said the company had assumed that maintenance staff did not need the same levels of supervision or instruction as other members of staff.

"The company deeply regrets it has taken such a tragedy to show how misplaced that assumption was," Mr Antrobus said.

"It was never their intention employees would be put at risk."

He added the company had since put in place procedures to properly train staff.

The judge is due to pass sentence on Tuesday.