A nightclub in the United Kingdom has been fined for accidentally serving cleaning chemicals instead of salt with tequila shots. According to the BBC, four customers were hospitalised after ingesting the cleaning substance at Tiger Tiger club in December 2021. While preparing drinks for the group, a member of the staff realised there was no salt bar. So he went into an unlit area behind the bar where he used a plastic cup to scoop what he thought was salt from a container on a shelf.
According to Westminster City Council, the four people then poured the white substance onto the back of their hands, licked it and drank the shot. They immediately became sick, following which the bartender tasted some of what he had thought to be salt. The substance ended up burning his mouth and tongue, and he realised it wasn't salt.
The outlet reported that the four customers were given water and taken to the hospital, while a police investigation identified a container with a label for caustic soda on it. Tests were also carried out on the substance which found that it contained a PH level of 13 - a strong alkaline.
On Thursday, the nightclub pleaded guilty to four health and safety breaches. According to the BBC, the judge fined the nightclub 120,000 pounds as well for "failing to ensure (customers) were not exposed to the risk of chemical substances".
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Councillor Aicha Less, deputy leader and cabinet member for communities, public protection and licensing, hopes the conviction and "significant fine" is a warning to all businesses to prevent the case from happening again."The shocking details of this case show a lack of attention and proper process for handling toxic cleaning chemicals," she said as per the outlet.
"This incident shows that overlooking basic safety measures can have the most serious consequences," she continued.
"We hope the significant fine awarded in court acts to all businesses as a warning, preventing this from ever happening again. Westminster City Council's Health and Safety Team will continue to work with all businesses in the city to make sure the highest levels of health and safety are consistently maintained, and staff are educated in safe practice," she said.
