Recreational facilities come under safety spotlight

Improved supervision

Zhang Min, a lawyer with the Anhui Pinhan Law Office in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, has been following cases related to recreational facilities for several years.

He said operators have a legal obligation to adhere to safety standards, or they will bear legal liability for any accidents that occur.

In some cases, operators have asked customers to sign documents absolving the venue of liability, but "such disclaimers are legally invalid", Zhang Min said.

Under Tort Liability Law and judicial interpretations of personal injury compensation by the Supreme People's Court, if victims of accidents at recreational facilities can prove that the operators failed to honor their safety responsibilities, the owners will have to pay compensation, he noted.

Venue operators must provide customers with both written and oral warnings of the risks, he added.

However, quoting certain other laws, including the General Principles of the Civil Law, he said operators will bear lower legal liability if they can prove that customers also made mistakes that resulted in accidents.

Generally, the laws are more favorable to customers, who are considered more vulnerable, he added.

Though some customers are to blame for accidents due to a lack of safety awareness, Zhang Min called on authorities to roll out more measures to improve venue supervision.