SeaWorld Orlando faces fine after killer whale injured trainer
ORLANDO, Fla. (WFLA) — SeaWorld Orlando is facing a hefty fine after an employee was injured by a killer whale during a training exercise in September 2024.
Officials with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) launched the investigation, saying the trainer was 'not properly protected from hazards,' labeling the type of violation as 'Serious.'
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The U.S. Department of Labor issued a fine of $16,550, issuing a serious citation 'for allowing employees to work in close contact with the whale, exposing them to the potential for bites, struck-by and drowning hazards.'
The fine is for an incident on Sept. 24 at Medical Pool D during desensitization training with a killer whale, according to the department's citation letter provided to WFLA.com. In a 2010 lawsuit, the 'water desensitization' technique referred to acclimating the killer whale to the trainer's presence in the pools with them, training the animals to ignore their trainers unless they're signaled 'to interact for a specific learned behavior.'
If the violation is not contested, Area Director Erin Sanchez for the OSHA office suggested that a feasible means of subsiding this risk would be to use glass or plastic physical barriers or removable bars or to create distance between the whales and their trainers.
The department's announcement on March 21 revealed the theme park has 15 business days from receiving the citations to comply, request an informal conference with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
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According to OSHA's Inspection Reports, SeaWorld Orlando has faced seven safety complaints since June 2022.
One of the most notable deaths from a killer whale was in February 2010 at SeaWorld Orlando, when trainer Dawn Brancheau was drowned by Tilikum, the park's 29-year-old male orca. Three citations were issued in August 2010, fining SeaWorld $75,000. The company contested these citations.
When the lawsuit was concluded in June 2011, SeaWorld paid a $12,000 fine for two violations—failing to equip two stairways with standard stair railings on each side, and for exposing animal trainers to struck-by and drowning hazards when working with killer whales during performance. To read the entirety of this lawsuit, click here.
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