City of Edinburgh Council has
been fined after a schoolgirl was seriously injured when she fell more than
five metres as teachers attempted to free her from a broken down lift. Morgan
Seaton, then aged 15, sustained three fractured vertebrae, bruising over her
lower back and a sprained wrist as a result of the incident at Liberton High School
on 8 December 2011. She remained in hospital for two days before being
discharged and was unable to return to school for a further two weeks.
The
incident was investigated by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and a
prosecution brought against the council for serious safety failings.
Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard
today (25 February) that Miss Seaton was in the lift with three other pupils
when it stuck between the first and second floors. She called the school’s
office from her mobile phone and teachers quickly arrived and told the pupils
to remain calm as they tried to affect a rescue. Rather than use the emergency
call button in the lift or call the fire service, teachers and the school
janitor decided to fetch the lift key, open the doors and attempt to get the
pupils out themselves. After opening the lift shaft doors on the first floor,
staff could see that the bottom third of the lift car was visible at the top of
the door opening. They forced open the lift car doors and spoke with the pupils
who were trapped within.
One boy
was helped to lower himself safely out of the lift down to the first floor
corridor. Miss Seaton then manoeuvred herself out of the lift on her stomach
until she was suspended feet first out of the opening. One of the teachers
stood behind her as she attempted to drop to the floor but instead she fell
through the gap between the bottom of the lift and the floor and into the lift
shaft where she fell over five metres to the basement.
After
her return to school, Miss Seaton continued to suffer pain and discomfort in
her back for several months and needed regular physiotherapy and medication.
The
court was told the fire service had found on arrival that power to the lift had
not been isolated and the car could have resumed moving at any time during the
pupils’ ordeal or as the schoolgirl lay injured in the basement waiting for
help to arrive. HSE found that the council failed to ensure that staff at
Liberton High School had been given sufficient instructions, information and
training to deal with such incidents, and that no suitable risk assessment had
been undertaken.
City of
Edinburgh Council, of City Chambers, High Street, Edinburgh, was fined £8,000
after pleading guilty to breaching Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work
etc Act 1974.
Following
the case, HSE Inspector Hazel Dobb, said “A 15-year-old girl was seriously
injured in an incident that was wholly preventable. As a result she spent
several months in pain, her education was disrupted and her social life and
part time job were both put completely on hold as she recovered. The teachers
were well intentioned in their attempts to help, but had they received suitable
information and guidance on how to deal with trapped people in lifts they would
have called for help and not put pupils at such risk of injury. What was
important was to make staff aware of the steps they ought to take in such
situations. Simply distributing safety instructions to all staff and providing
awareness sessions internally would have been sufficient. Unfortunately, this
was not done because the risks associated with the use of the lifts had been
entirely overlooked by the council.”
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