Look Out - Dangerous Cheese!

[suzieseaside]

Health and Safety gone mad again.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-22639675

I'm lost for words!

[suzieseaside]

Those naughty cheese rollers have been defying the police since 2009 :^O

It has been found, however, following health and safety fears, 2009 was the last official cheese rolling event but unofficially the event is still held every year – without proper medical cover or insurance.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/10076336/Grandmother-wont-make-Double-Glouce...

The police threats have stopped the cheese-maker grandmother this year. 😞

What other old traditions will be seen as too dangerous next? Dwile Flonking? :^O :^O

[bankhaunter]

It's because many people get injured in the cheese rolling and anybody who can be considered to have helped organise the event may be held responsible.

Anybody that organises a public event has some duty to protect those taking part from harm.

[tommy.irene]

What other old traditions will be seen as too dangerous next? Dwile Flonking? :^O :^O

  The War on Christmas Comes to Spain http://buff.ly/189VHYz

[electric*mayhem*band]

Next on the agenda will be the Annual Doncaster Wellie Chucking Contest.

"You could have someone's eye out", said the Yorkshire Chief of Police.

[aernethril]

Someone is desperate to get the event closed down for good.

I think it has far more to do with the number of people it attracts and because it's a large group of people who just get together for the fun of it.  Maybe the police cannot charge anyone for the extra time and resources they have to put into managing it.

[welsh.goddess]

If someone purchased a hammer from a hammer seller, then hit themselves on the head with it, would the hammer seller be responsible?

Of course not.

Likewise, the people that indulge in the cheese rolling do so out of their own choice, the cheese seller doesn't compell people to run headlong down a hill, so how can it be her fault?

Nanny state gone silly.

Yes, I know there are injuries most yeasr, but nobody forces them to do it

[bankhaunter]

The event attracts a large crowd and where you have large crowds you have a potential disaster.

Many of the spectators are standing on a steep slope, should there be some sort of incident for example someone losing their footing and falling over, others might also fall in a domino effect which could result in injury or even death.

It has happened many times in the past and it's health and safety rules which largely prevent it happening a lot more often.

If the crowd was left completely uncontrolled and a child was killed, no doubt there would be calls for the event to be banned, it would be unlikely to be said that nobody forced them to watch.

[kiss*my*pixel]

The event attracts a large crowd and where you have large crowds you have a potential disaster.

Many of the spectators are standing on a steep slope, should there be some sort of incident for example someone losing their footing and falling over, others might also fall in a domino effect which could result in injury or even death.

It has happened many times in the past and it's health and safety rules which largely prevent it happening a lot more often.

If the crowd was left completely uncontrolled and a child was killed, no doubt there would be calls for the event to be banned, it would be unlikely to be said that nobody forced them to watch.

Bank, you could say that about a ski-ing event (also held on slopes, with spectators). To hold this lady responsible for any potential injury caused to anyone is quite ridiculous. If that's the case, then ski manufacturers should be held responsible for ski injuries. ?:|

She's making cheese - no-one is forcing these people to take part, they're participating voluntarily.

[bankhaunter]

The ski manufacturers do not generally donate skis for the competitors to use, if they did, spectators were injured and the organisers were found to be negligent, they well might be held jointly liable.

It would seem, like so many other odd events, that the increasing popularity of the event may well be it's downfall.

If the organisers had purchased the cheeses to use for the event in the normal way, it is very unlikely the seller could be held to have any liability.

[kiss*my*pixel]

Manufacturers who sponsor sporting events all donate sports goods to the people they're sponsoring.

[bankhaunter]

For the organisers to be held liable for injuries to spectators, they would have to be shown to be negligent and such events usually have proper crowd control, the danger for the woman would be that she may be held jointly responsible with others as there was no particular organisation for the event who would have the responsibility.

It would appear that since 2010 the event has been an ad hoc event with no proper organisation.

The police statement makes it more clear.

"Several months ago one police officer visited the son and mother who in the past have produced the cheese for both official and unofficial cheese rolling events.

The purpose of this visit was to advise them that, in the absence of a recognised organiser, anyone that facilitates the event could be deemed to be an organiser by default. In this case that person could then attract the legal liability issues that come with hosting the cheese rolling.

The same information was given to others who could be deemed as ‘organisers’. "

http://www.itv.com/news/story/2013-05-24/cheesemaker-police-warning-cheese-rolling-coopers-hill-gloucestershire/

[right-then-petal]

and now Gloucester council and police have banned ANY floats in the Carnival in july on health and safty grounds

several croups have pulled out

gay parade say their walking

[lhasa.two]

How absolutely ridiculous to ban the Carnival floats. 😮

If the council need advice they should ask (Somerset, next county)  Sedgemoor District Council about Carnival Floats as Bridgwater organises the largest Carnival in Europe!

As for the cheese chasers I think the event isn't liked by the locals because it brings in too many visitors to watch it which creates almost as much danger as the event itself. It's grown enormously from being a 'local' event to a national one attracting thousands of people. The problem is the site is incredibly steep and only so many spectators can fit in along the boundary edges of the field. It's sad though that somehow it can't be organised in a way to create as little disruption to locals so that they can live with it without banning it.

[bankhaunter]

Apparently the organisers did try to deal with the problem but it meant limiting the spectators to 5,000 and charging a £20 entry fee.

Those organisers are no longer organising it so this year it is taking place unofficially hence the warning to the cheese maker.

[mr-expresso]

The ski manufacturers do not generally donate skis for the competitors to use,

Practically every competitive skier is skiing on skis given by the manufacturer.

[right-then-petal]

2 days to go  😄

[aernethril]

Would the same helpful warning have been given to the owners of the land who I think are Gloucester Council?

[bankhaunter]

Practically every competitive skier is skiing on skis given by the manufacturer.

But the competitors arriving for the competition are not generally handed the skis to use on the day just for that event as they might be say in a ad hoc local competition for which a sports shop might loan skis.

Would the same helpful warning have been given to the owners of the land who I think are Gloucester Council?

I suppose that would depend on the basis on which the land was used and whether or not they could be said to promote the event.

If a warning had been given and it was possible to do so, they would have banned the event completely, that's usually the reaction of councils.

[right-then-petal]

its a hill