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Council fined after school injure pupil in DT lesson

By Anonymous
Hello all,

Our lead in this area, Rhys Thomas saw the below case report from the HSE and has written this open question to your leads. Could you please pass it on to them? You might also take the opportunity of enquiring as to the answer yourself.

Although the case is at secondary level, it is important that those at primary schools are also properly trained and so we suggest this is drawn to their attention too please.

Dear Persons responsible for Design and Technology and Health and Safety,

  • Is the training of your colleagues in D&T up to date with refresher every 3 to 5 years?
  • This report from the HSE dated 22/2/17 is sadly a clear reminder of why H&S procedures and good practices must be followed in the D&T environment. The closing words on this report read …
“If the teacher had been appropriately trained on how to use the equipment for the lesson, they would have been able to show the pupils how to properly use the sanding machine. Instead a young boy sustained an extremely painful injury that could have easily been avoided.”
Nobody wants accidents to occur in a school and it is for reasons such as this why I feel passionate about the delivery of training and good practices of staff working in D&T in schools.

Please don’t let an accident in your setting be the prompt needed to audit your department and address any training needs. I am always happy to discuss via phone or email the H&S in your department and provide, if needed, a plan of training for you. Get in touch with Bill and we can support you. 

London council fined after school injury

Date:
22 February 2017
Islington Borough Council has been sentenced after admitting a role in an incident at a London school where a boy was left with serious hand injuries. 
Southwark Crown Court heard that on 25 March 2014, a twelve year old schoolboy was in a design and technology class making animal shapes out of plywood. The class used hand saws and some were using a belt sanding machine.
The court heard the schoolboy was using the machine for the first time, along with fellow pupils. They were shown how to use it by a fellow pupil and none knew the purpose of the metal guard for the sanding belt which was in a raised position.
When the schoolboy put the shape to the belt, it flipped downwards into the gap pulling his left hand forward and trapping it between the shape and the belt. The top of the boys left hand middle finger had to be amputated down to knuckle and was absent from school for several weeks.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuting said the teacher had not received adequate training to recognise that the machine was in an unsafe condition or recognise the risk of allowing pupils to use the machinery unsupervised and without suitable training. The design and technology class had been without a technician for 8 weeks prior to the incident; on the day of the incident the teacher was supervising the class alone.
London Borough of Islington pleaded guilty to breaches of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £19,865.
After the hearing HSE inspector Jane Wolfenden said: “It is important to create a safe teaching environment for pupils where they can learn to appreciate and manage the risks they will face in life.
“If the teacher had been appropriately trained on how to use the equipment for the lesson, they would have been able to show the pupils how to properly use the sanding machine. Instead a young boy sustained an extremely painful injury that could have easily been avoided.”
-- 
Bill Crocker

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