Boudewijn Seapark acquitted for fatal accident at work

The facts took place on October 13, 2020. Around 3 p.m., the victim was working on a fuse box at the outside enclosure of the seals. There he replaced an analog timer with a digital one, but during those works he was electrocuted. He died of his injuries in hospital a few hours later.

No proper training

The judge also ruled that it was not the victim’s job to install the clock. In addition, the victim was not properly trained to carry out such work. This made it impossible for him to do his job in a safe manner.

The defense pleaded that the victim was not allowed by his employer to carry out such electrical work himself. Such jobs were normally always carried out by an external electrician. Half an hour before the accident, he was instructed to leave the job to the electrician.

Prevention measures

The judge found that there was a problem with the prevention measures and that Boudewijn Seapark did not have a prevention advisor. According to the court, these violations were not related to the occupational accident.

The occupational auditor therefore emphasized that such an occupational accident could be avoided with the right preventive measures. In those circumstances, the labor prosecutor demanded a fine of 48,000 euros. For some breaches of safety regulations, the defendant was also fined 4,000 euros, half of which was suspended.

Finally, the defendant was also convicted because the accident was not immediately reported. The police were not notified by the emergency doctor until after the death.