A Maidstone play centre has been fined $60,000 after an eight-year-old girl fractured to her spine in a fall at the venue.
Entertainment Velocity Ptd Ltd, trading as Funtopia Maribyrnong, was sentenced in the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Friday, November 1 after pleading guilty to two charges of failing to ensure people other than employees were not exposed to risks to their health and safety.
The company was also ordered to pay $6,000 in costs.
The court heard the girl was attending a friend’s birthday party at the venue in July 2022 when she prepared to climb the rope ladder feature, a process that involved being fitted with a harness and connecting it to a self-belay device via a self-belay quicklink.
CCTV footage shows the girl correctly connecting the self-belay quicklink on her harness and beginning her climb, but the self-belay key was able to be removed from the self-belay device when the quicklink was not fully engaged.
As a result, the girl wasn’t attached to the belay system’s cable as she descended, causing her to fall about seven metres to the ground.
The girl was taken to hospital and where she was found to have suffered two compression fractures to her vertebrae.
An investigation by WorkSafe found due to excessive wear within the self-belay device, the self-belay key could be removed when the quicklink was not fully engaged.
The investigation also found there was no documented procedure for how daily tests of the self-belay system, self-belay key and self-belay quicklink should be performed.
The court found it was reasonably practicable for Entertainment Velocity to inspect, maintain and, where necessary, replace its climbing safety equipment.
WorkSafe health and safety director Sam Jenkin said thoroughly inspecting and testing climbing safety equipment and replacing it in the designated time frames were basic measures that, when ignored, had significant consequences.
“It is devastating to see the significant trauma and injury suffered by a young girl who should have been able to safely enjoy a fun day out,“ Mr Jenkin said.
“WorkSafe continues to see an alarming number of issues at indoor play centres relating to the maintenance, training and supervision around climbing safety devices. With the busy summer holiday period approaching, now is the time for employers to ensure they have safe systems and processes in place to protect the public, and particularly children, from serious harm.“
