SeaWorld loses appeal in death by killer whale

A federal appeals court upheld a regulatory safety finding against SeaWorld in the drowning of a trainer who was pulled under by a killer whale at the theme park.
In a 2-1 decision made yesterday, the appeals court said SeaWorld's challenge to the finding was unpersuasive and that the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission was correct when it found that the SeaWorld park in Orlando, Florida, had violated a federal workplace safety law.
The court said SeaWorld had exposed trainers to recognized hazards when working in close contact with killer whales during performances.
On February 24, 2010, SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau was interacting with Tilikum, a killer whale, before a live audience in a pool at Shamu Stadium in Orlando when Tilikum grabbed her and pulled her off a platform into the pool, then refused to release her.

Tilikum became the focus of the 2013 documentary film "Blackfish."
The administrative record in the case establishes that the hazard arising from trainers' close contact with killer whales in performance is preventable, wrote federal appeals judge Judith Rogers. Given evidence of continued incidents of aggressive behaviour by killer whales toward trainers, SeaWorld could have anticipated that abatement measures it had applied after other incidents would be required, Rogers added.

SeaWorld said it had not decided whether to seek an appeal.
"SeaWorld remains committed to providing a safe workplace for employees, healthy environments for the animals in our care, and inspirational and educational experiences with killer whales for our guests," SeaWorld said in a statement.

The general duty clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to furnish a place of employment free from recognised hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm.
In its arguments to the federal government, SeaWorld said the finding that it exposed its employees to a recognised hazard is unsupported by substantial evidence. The company contended that when some risk is inherent in a business activity, the risk cannot constitute a recognised hazard.
Rogers said the caution with which SeaWorld treated Tilikum even when trainers were poolside indicates that it recognised the hazard the killer whale posed, not that it considered its protocols rendered Tilikum safe.

The appeals judge said SeaWorld's incident reports demonstrate that it recognized the danger its killer whales posed to trainers. At the time of Brancheau's death, seven killer whales were at the Orlando park.
Even though SeaWorld had not recorded incident reports on all of its killer whales, a substantial portion of SeaWorld's killer whale population had at least one reported incident, Rogers said.