Local authority fined £50k after man dies following council-organised trip

A local authority has been fined £50,000 and ordered to pay costs of £27,670 following a council-organised trip where a man with learning difficulties drank dishwasher fluid that was mistakenly thought to be orange juice.

Colin Woods, who was 60 and had Down’s Syndrome, died 17 months after sustaining his injuries on the trip to sporting facilities at Plumpton Agricultural College in 2004.

Five other individuals from St Nicholas Centre in Lewes also suffered agonising injuries as a result of the mix-up, with most having to undergo repeated surgery and three unable ever to swallow normally again.

The drink had been prepared at the day centre and taken with the group. The container for the dishwater fluid was marked as corrosive as it contained sodium hydroxide, but it had a similar appearance to that for orange squash.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive, which brought the prosecution against East Sussex County Council, found that the authority had failed to ensure the dishwater fluid was safely locked away.

The council admitted to leaving the liquid in the unlocked kitchen of the day centre. It pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.

HSE inspector, Andrew Cousins, said: "This is one of the worst incidents I have investigated in all my time as a health and safety inspector – it is impossible to adequately imagine the suffering and terror that the victims must have felt as this tragedy unfolded.

"The terrible thing is that this incident and its horrific consequences could so easily have been prevented by simply locking away the container of sodium hydroxide.

"Instead, Mr Woods died a slow, painful and unnecessary death and others have suffered terrible, preventable injuries - some painful and permanent - because the council failed in its responsibility to take proper care of them. It is imperative that authorities properly protect vulnerable people in their care."