The 'Twelfth' Bonfires - Is the tradition being lost to the extremists?

Tragically a young man has lost his life in County Antrim after a fall from about 15m while helping to build a bonfire, typically made from wooden pallets.

Firstly let me be clear this discussion is not solely about this particular incident and my thoughts and prayers are with a family that has lost a loved one, regardless of the circumstances. But I do think that this does need an open discussion in the wider community about what is an acceptible norm with regard to the practice of 'building' bonfires?

As someone who has observed this tradition from afar, it seems that this risk has grown bigger each year of people being seriously hurt or dying. Whilst I have no issue with bonfires as part of a tradition, surely the desire to take things to the extreme by increasing in height and be bigger each year is deviating away from the 'tradition' itself.

The article reports:

Again I appreciate people are horrified, but how can people be shocked when a tragedy like this is entirely predictable? It surely was a matter of when and not if and if you didnt think so then you clearly have your head in the sand.

Put simply, when you are 'working' at height, on an unstable structure without an adequate fall prevention system in place, your chances of being seriously injured or death are actually very high. Looking at it entirely from a risk perspective, the likelihood of such an occurance is high and the impact if it occurs is devestating - high risk.

But what will be the outcome of this reflection? Surely this would entail looking that a practice that tolerates (particularly young men) to undertake risky behaviours of 'working' at height without any safety measures in place.

The mere fact that some of these people refer to themselves as 'bonfire builders' infers there is some kind of expertise or competancy in place associated with this pratice - but sadly there is not.

Actual builders, are regulated by society and have some of the strictest safety obligations placed upon them. The risks of working at heights are well researched and all employers, not just builders, can face criminal prosecutions in the event an employee or member of the public is exposed to, injured or dies while being at height without adequate preventative meaures in place. If this is the societal expectation, why then is the practice of 'bonfires' and those who build them not afforded a minimum level of protections. Or simply outlawed. Sometimes we need laws in society to protect people from themselves.

Anyone who has worked in construction generally has to undergo a minimum level of training which covers of this risk. However the authorities seem unwilling to kerb this behaviour. Whilst they may be complicit through inaction, I think it speaks greater to society in general that this is not only tolerated, but encouraged. The fact the family apprently wish to see the 'world record' beaten in his memory seems to be evidence of this.

Personally I have no issue with the tradition or the people who undertake such. My point is that the tradition seems to have been forgotton in the desire to take things to the extreme.

The costs of these tragedies are huge and entirely avoidable while it seems to be in the 'too hard' basket for the Government and Authorities.