A tragedy in the nightclub
The fire at the Kiss nightclub in the Brazilian city of Santa Maria on Sunday 27 Januray claimed the lives of 236 clubbers. The exact circumstances that led to such a large loss of life are unclear.
Santa Maria is a city that has a large student population; many of the fatalities at the club were students. Whilst drawing comparisons between this tragic event and nightclubs in Leamington may seem crude, it is easy to take for granted that health and safety laws in the UK make an disaster like this much less likely to happen.
We may bemoan having to queue outside in the cold, or being turned away from a club because it is full, but it is regulations like this that afford clubbers the safety they deserve on a night out.
There were too few fire exits and too many people in the Kiss nightclub in Santa Maria on that Saturday evening.
We may bemoan having to queue outside in the cold, or being turned away from a club because it is full, but it is regulations like this that afford clubbers the safety they deserve on a night out.
This may not be the case forever though. From April 2013 pubs and clubs in England and Wales will no longer face so many ‘burdensome’ inspections, as part of the governments attempts to cut red tape.
‘Health and safety’ is a code word for nanny state and government meddling, but it serves an obvious and vital purpose. It stops businesses putting profit before the safety of it’s clientele.
Next time your have to queue for a nightclub, realise its probably for your own safety.
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