School Fined over Health and Safety Incident
Wells Cathedral School was prosecuted for an employee incident in which the individual fell through a loft hatch. The employee fell 2.5 metres from the loft hatch. This caused a break in her shoulder blade and a concussion.
South Somerset and Mendip Courts heard the case in 2011, but it has taken until now for the incident to end completely, as the case has now been decided and the fine amounts stated in open court. The staff member of the school went into the attic near her office along with a colleague in order to get some storage boxes.
There were two access points in the attic: one of the same level and another in the library. The worker accidentally stepped on the library access point causing her to fall. During the health and safety audits, it was determined that the colleague had warned the facility that the door for the library access was not safe to stand on.
The school was aware of the risk the door posed because of the colleague, but they failed to follow through on the workstation risk assessments and mark the loft unsafe with regards to the secondary hatch. The school should have put up signs and warned employees not to step on the hatch, especially with their full weight. Markings and rails would have prevented even accidental stepping on the loft hatch. This would have meant a prevention of the incident saving the worker from suffering a fall and the resulting pain.
