Dangerously faulty play equipment leads to prosecution

Date:

6 September 2010

Release No:

WM208/09

A Prestatyn man has been given an 18 week suspended prison sentence and 60 hours of community service after ignoring a legal order preventing him from issuing safety certificates for inflatable amusements.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served a prohibition notice on Peter John Morrell (also known as Peter Michael Coltilda) of Aberconwy Road in November 2008 after an investigation revealed he had passed inflatables as safe to use when they were not. He had previously pleaded guilty to three separate offences last year and was given conditional discharges by the court.

He was ordered to stop inspecting play equipment and issuing safety certificates. But less than a month after the Notice was issued, it emerged that he had ignored the ban and illegally issued a certificate after a colleague carried out an inspection on an inflatable at Wellington Civic & Leisure Centre, Telford, despite there being a safety defect with the blower.

Mr Morrell tried to inspect the inflatable again six months later, but the centre turned him away.

At Shrewsbury Crown Court today, Mr Morrell pleaded Guilty to breaching Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. He was given an 18 week suspended prison sentence, ordered to carry out 60 hours of community service and ordered to pay £500 towards costs.

HSE inspector Janice Dale said:

"By continuing to take money for issuing safety certificates, Mr Morrell not only cheated the companies he issued the certificates for, but also risked the wellbeing of the young children using the inflatable and its blower.

"The reason that an initial prohibition notice was put in place was that his work was substandard and unsafe.

"For him to then breach that prohibition notice within weeks of it being put in place - and on the same day he met HSE who made it clear that he had not yet complied - shows he has utter disregard for the law and for other people's safety."

Mr Morrell has recently changed his name by deed poll to Peter Michael Coltilda.

Notes to editors

1. The Health and Safety Executive is Britain's national regulator for workplace health and safety. It aims to reduce death, injury and ill health. It does so through research, information and advice, promoting training, new or revised regulations and codes of practice, and working with local authority partners by inspection, investigation and enforcement.
2. Section 33(1)(g) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 states: "It is an offence for a person... to contravene any requirement or prohibition imposed by an improvement notice or a prohibition notice (including any such notice as modified on appeal)."
3. Visit http://www.hse.gov.uk for more information and other HSE press notices.

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Issued on behalf of the Health and Safety Executive by COI News & PR (West Midlands)