A Surrey school trust has been fined after an incident that saw a pupil’s finger amputated.
The pupil was a five-year-old boy, enrolled at Danetree Primary School in Epsom. He was leaving a toilet when his right hand slipped into the hinge side of a door. His finger was trapped as the door shut, which detached the tip of his middle finger. The door did not have a door guard installed.
The Year 1 pupil was rushed to St Georges Hospital in Tooting, London for surgery to reattach his finger. A teacher had found the detached fingertip on the floor.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated the incident. They found that Key Stage 1 pupils (i.e. ages 5-7) were primarily taught in a newer building, where hinge guards were fitted on the doors. However, the incident occurred in a separate building where Key Stage 2 pupils (ages 7-11) were taught.
KS1 pupils used the KS2 building once a week to visit the library, and to learn music and science. KS1 pupils were not supervised when using the toilets in the KS2 building.
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HSE’s investigation found that GLF Schools, the trust that runs Danetree Primary School, had failed to identify risks to KS1 pupils using the KS2 facilities. Hinge guards were not installed in the KS2 toilet doors, despite KS1 pupils having regular use of the building.
GLF Schools, of Picquets Way, Banstead, Surrey, pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – namely, a breach of their duty to ensure those not in their employment (i.e. pupils) are not exposed to risks to their health or safety.
The trust was fined £6,000 and ordered to pay £6,875.70 in costs at Staines Magistrates’ Court on 30 October 2024.
HSE Principal Inspector Emma Stiles said:
“This little boy and his family could have been spared a lot of pain and upset if the trust had installed widely available, effective and inexpensive hinge guards on the doors the young children had access to.
“I would ask all schools to review their estates to make sure they have hinge guards where needed so no other children are hurt in this way when at school.”
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