Health and Safety and Rock and Roll
It looks like rock ‘n’ roll is no longer allowed to operate under its traditional devil may care rules. This seems like the anything goes times of Woodstock are at an end now that the health and safety laws have raised their fun stopping heads.
The organiser of the world famous Reading Festival, Glastonbury Festival and Latitude Festival, Melvin Benn, is to be prosecuted under health and safety regulations.
He is charged with multiple counts of “neglect” in a case regarding two workers at the 2006 Reading Festival, which featured Pearl Jam, Arctic Monkeys, and Franz Ferdinand.
According to documents at Reading Magistrates’ Court Mr. Benn is charged with 26 health and safety violations including that he exposed the two workmen installing portable toilets to the risk of injury by electric shock from overhanging cables.
Specifically Mr. Benn is accused of not carrying out health and safety risk assessments or checks are related to possible injuries by installing portable toilets directly underneath electric wiring.
The papers say that he should have been aware that planning to place the porta-loos underneath live cables was a serious potential risk to workmen and the public. He is due to appear at court on January 22 to answer the 26 charges against him in relation to violations at the Reading site. Keith Moon would turn over in his grave.
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