A number of major concerns have been raised about the safety of the spectators attending Bath Rugby games at the Recreation Ground in Bath.
In an email passed to NOW Bath, it has been revealed that Bath Rugby were served prohibition notices regarding safety at their ground, just days before their first game of the season on Saturday.
A number of meetings of the SAGE, the Safety Advisory Group for Events, a multi-agency forum that examines sporting events for safety, were held in the run up to last Saturday when Bath Rugby played London Welsh.
On Thursday 11th September, representatives of the SAGE including the Health and Safety Executive, Avon Fire and Rescue and the Council’s Building Control visited the ground to carry out a final pre-match inspection in order to issue a Safety Certificate in readiness for the match on Saturday.
Under Section 10 of the Safety at Sports Ground Act 1975, if the Council is satisfied that there is suitable risk to spectators, it has the ability to prohibit or restrict the admission of spectators to the whole or part of the ground until such steps are taken to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.
Although Bath Rugby had agreed for the SAGE to attend the ground on the Thursday, the advisory group discovered four main concerns which needed immediate rectification.
While the SAGE was on site, construction of the East Stand was still taking place, and the staircases had not yet been completed. Concern was also raised about a lack of drainage for the toilets from the stand, which hadn’t been connected.
The North Stand could not be officially signed off during the meeting, as Bath Rugby had not formally submitted a fire safety risk assessment for the stand to Avon Fire and Rescue. There was an issue with fire risk due to the close proximity of the stand to the existing clubhouse.
The most critical issue identified during the visit by the SAGE was that the event safety control centre had not yet been erected. Safety at the ground was being compromised as the stewards needed to fully familiarise themselves with the new design and layout of the ground, which they had not had the chance to do. The advisory group deemed the lack of safety control centre as a risk to the safety of the spectators to the game.
As Bath Rugby were still constructing at the ground during the visit, there was also restricted access for emergency vehicles if they were required at any point. Officers served two separate prohibition notices on Thursday, which remained in place until Bath Rugby were able to satisfy the SAGE that the event could be effectively stewarded and managed.
The email sent to NOW Bath reveals how Bath Rugby had council officers signing off their building work at 6pm on Friday evening, just hours before the match was to start the next day.
It is believed that the SAGE are to issue a schedule of dates, which will be agreed with Bath Rugby in advance, and if the rugby club fail to comply by not completing works or providing surveys/reports, then the stands and facilities will not be signed off as safe for use.
Bath Rugby had sold all of the available tickets for the new stand before it was built ahead of the game, with the Health and Safety Executive stopping the stand construction during the meeting on the Thursday. They believed it to be unsafe for both spectators and the workforce at the ground.
Other issues raised are the number of complaints received about noise from the ground, as it’s believed the club have been failing to adhere to the Codes of Practice which set out best practice of working times for weekday and weekends.
We understand that Bath Rugby have been in similar situations with the Safety Advisory Group for Events over the past three years, though what the club are doing to rectify being in such situations is still unclear.
We reached out to Bath Rugby for a comment on the above story and they sent us the following statement: “The safety of our spectators is always our primary concern. Bath Rugby works closely with the Safety Advisory Group for Events (SAGE) on an on-going basis.
“They are proactively involved in the design, pre-construction and construction phases for the current temporary stands, advising during the course of on-going works.
“Bath Rugby was issued with its General Safety Certificate upon completion of the construction and prior to the opening of the 2014/15 season.”
