SeaWorld faces fine after trainer injured by Orca in Orlando

Admin

March 24, 2025
2 min read

SeaWorld faces fine after trainer injured by Orca in Orlando

SeaWorld in Orlando, Florida, has been fined by the American Department of Labor after one of the employees at the site was injured by a killer whale last year. The department reported that the worker was injured during a training exercise with the orca at SeaWorld Orlando in September 2024.

An investigation was conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) which found that the trainer had not been “properly protected from hazards,” according to officials. OSHA issued a “general duty clause serious citation for allowing employees to work in close contact with the whale, exposing them to the potential for bites, struck-by and drowning hazards.”

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The department has proposed fining SeaWorld $16,550. The park will have 15 business days to comply, request an informal meeting with the area director for OSHA, or challenge the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

This is not the first time it has been under fire. SeaWorld has been under intense scrutiny regarding the safety of its trainers, as well as the welfare of the aquatic animals, especially the captive killer whales. A number of trainers have previously been killed while working with the marine mammals, leading to OSHA to recommend that trainers stop swimming with them for performance purposes.

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