Cirque du Soleil faces $25K penalty in acrobat's death

Safety officials announced plans Tuesday to cite performance company Cirque du Soleil and Las Vegas Strip casino MGM Grand after an acrobat died over the summer in a fall witnessed by the audience, the CBCNEWS reports.
 
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said in a statement that they've wrapped up their investigation into the June 29 death of 31-year-old Sarah Guillot-Guyard. Investigators concluded she fell 30 meters to the floor below when a wire rope she was suspended from was severed due to her rapid ascent.

"She ascended too quickly which caused the rope to come out of the sheave/pulley," said Teri Williams, spokeswoman for the Nevada Department of Business and Industry. "The rope was severed when it encountered a shear point. The investigation concluded that she ascended too quickly, in part, because she did not receive proper training."

OSHA proposed six citations and more than $25,000 in penalties for Cirque du Soleil Nevada, and three citations totalling $7,000 for the MGM Grand, where the performance took place.

Among other things, OSHA reported Cirque didn't provide proper training for the performer, and didn't properly assess the workplace for hazards. MGM faces citations because its employees were exposed to hazards due to deficiencies in Cirque's hazard assessments, according to OSHA.