Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service has been hit with a £10,000 fine after two of its firefighters received serious head injuries – with one paralysed from the chest down – in a training exercise. A team of four firefighters were carrying out a rope rescue training exercise at a disused quarry in Harpur Hill near Buxton on September 29, 2019, when rocks fell from the cliff face and two of them suffered head injuries.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found there were failures in the arrangements and controls of the exercise. The risk assessment failed to consider or identify the risk of falling rocks and or the impact recent heavy rainfall may have had on the stability of the rock face.
The fire service did not have the health and safety guidance for off-site training events. The investigation also found that the service failed to provide sufficient information, instruction, training, and supervision to its firefighters.
