More visitors hurt in Tate's hole

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/entertainment/7112960.stm

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As many as 15 art lovers have been injured at London's Tate Modern since the opening of an installation which features a large crack in the floor.

The figure was cited by the Times newspaper, which said some visitors had sustained minor injuries after viewing Doris Salcedo's Shibboleth 2007.

Four accidents were reported to the Health and Safety Executive, it added.

The gallery said there had been only 10 reported incidents and "no serious injuries" despite 870,000 visitors.

"Tate has extensive experience of handling complex installations and takes issues of health and safety very seriously," the gallery said.

"Recent steps taken by Tate to manage visitor flow have significantly reduced the number of incidents."

'Potential for injury'

The Times obtained its figures through a request made under the Freedom of Information Act.

The paper also quoted an internal e-mail, sent by the museum's head of safety before the exhibit opened, which discussed the safety hazards.

Dennis Ahern told colleagues there was a "potential for significant leg injury" if a visitor fell into the hole.

He added that physical protection measures had been rejected because they were "not deemed appropriate" due to the "artistic nature" of the installation.

However, he advised that an agreement should be obtained with the artist stating that the museum retained the right to apply extra security measures if the need arose.

A spokeswoman for the museum said there were currently no plans to fence off the 167-metre long crack.

Colombian artist Salcedo said the work symbolised racial hatred and division in society.