Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail has revealed an exclusive about a series of dangerous incidents at Premier League grounds over the past year, following a Freedom of Information request.
The FOI request came from freebets.com, who discovered that Manchester United and Chelsea are the most dangerous grounds, with the most incidents occurring at their home stadiums.
Contents
EXCLUSIVE
⚡️Manchester United chef electrocuted
🍺Chelsea steward doused in beer after spark from flare hits his eye
⚽️Sheffield United ballboy breaks wrist
🦴Liverpool abseiler fractures vertebra
A year of HSE reports from Premier League grounds: https://t.co/f03rO3v8tp— Mike Keegan (@MikeKeegan_DM) April 18, 2024
Incidents reported at Manchester United
United and Chelsea lead the way, with five incidents reported to the Health and Safety Executive each. One of these involved a chef touching a light switch at Old Trafford, resulting in an electric shock.
The report said: “He burnt the end of his finger and felt the current travel up his arm and across his chest.” To check that the senior chef had not suffered serious damage, his blood pressure was taken, along with an ECG.
The results revealed that the chef was fine to return to work. Eventually, an electrician removed the button that was missing a cap in the kitchen. However, following an investigation, nobody in the kitchen admitted to having removed the cap.
Another incident at United’s home stadium saw an employee suffering from smoke inhalation, following flares and pyrotechnics lit in protest against the club’s owners in close proximity to the turnstiles. Finally, “a carpenter working on a bar at the stadium drilled through his own thumb while trying to fit a new door.”
Incidents reported at Chelsea
Meanwhile, at Stamford Bridge, two fans injured themselves by slipping when they were leaving the ground. As well as this, a Chelsea fan holding a flare was asked to drop it by a steward.
However, the supporter then waved it in the steward’s face, resulting in sparks going into his cheek and left eye. A separate fan then reportedly threw a beer over the steward’s head.
Other dangerous incidents at Premier League grounds
Overall, 30 dangerous incidents at Premier League grounds were reported, including four at Anfield. One of these involved a tour guide injuring their noise after walking into a gantry shutter. Another incident saw a 58-year-old suffer a fractured vertebra as a result of taking part in the club’s organised abseil down the roof of the ground. In a review, it was found to be a freak occurrence that may have been caused by an existing medical condition.
The Premier League champions, Manchester City, saw a steward suffer a broken finger because they were pushed down the stairs by a fan during a UEFA Champions League match against RB Leipzig. Also, a Crystal Palace broke his shoulder blade due to falling while celebrating a goal in the Eagles’ 1-1 draw against Brighton.
Sheffield United’s home ground, Bramall Lane, witnessed some bizarre incidents in the last year as well. A ball boy ended up breaking his hand while retrieving a spare ball during the warm-up before a match, and a fan broke his jaw and cut his knee when falling down the gangway five minutes before half-time in the Blades’ match against Newcastle United.
At the AMEX Stadium in Brighton, a student attending a prom held at the ground ended up in the hospital after he attempted to slide down a handrail on the way back to the stand, resulting in him going backwards and cracking his head on the concrete floor.
These dangerous incidents at Premier League grounds were all reported to the Health and Safety Executive and “Such reports are made if the person involved is injured to an extent that they need more than seven days off work before they return.”