Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus were cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday for misusing a key rigging component in a hair-hanging stunt, causing a fall that seriously injured eight acrobats, Reuters reported.
The company is also cited for a serious safety violation and proposed the maximum fine, $7,000, for the circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, according to Reuters. OSHA concluded circus staff had improperly loaded a carabiner clip.
OSHA investigators said the company attached two rings to the bottom of the carabiner, rather than one, in violation of what it said was industry practice and of the manufacturer's instructions, The Boston Globe reported. Investigators said that caused the clip to be overloaded.
During the stunt-gone-wrong, eight acrobats were attached by their hair to a chandelier-like apparatus and suspended in the air, according to The Globe.
On May 4, the day of the accident, the acts had just begun their show when the carabiner clip snapped, sending them plummeting to the ground 15 feet below, while also injuring a ninth worker on the ground, The Globe reported.
David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health, called it a "catastrophic failure," and said it demonstrates the circus industry needs professional engineers to develop, evaluate and inspect the structures it uses in performances, according to The Globe.
"We can never put a price on the impact this event had on these workers and their families. Employers must take steps to ensure this does not happen again," Michaels said, The Globe reported.
Most of the women in the act were severely injured and have gone through numerous surgeries, but many are still unable to walk, according to Reuters. Several of the women hired a lawyer and at that time said they were planning to sue the company.
