The governors of a boys’ school in Tonbridge have been prosecuted
after a 14-year-old pupil was severely injured when he was hit by a shot
put thrown by another boy. The incident happened during a routine
multi-sport PE lesson at The Judd School in Tonbridge on 20 June 2014.
The pupil had left a triple jump area and was standing on the edge of
the shot put landing zone to check a friend’s throw when he was struck
on the back of his head by a shot. The pupil suffered life-threatening
injuries and needed emergency brain surgery on a fractured skull. He has
now returned to school but his injury has resulted in a permanent
indentation at the base of his skull.
The Health and Safety
Executive (HSE) investigated and identified the school had not adopted
measures in its own risk assessment, and PE guidance on multi-event
lessons had not been followed.
Sevenoaks Magistrates were told on
24 March 2015 that there were 24 boys in the lesson, divided into six
groups and taking part in hurdles, long jump, triple jump, javelin,
discus and shot put. It was a lesson format used regularly at The Judd
School and the pupils had participated in similar lessons in previous
years. The six sports were spread across the field but the end of the
landing zone for the shot put was only about three metres from the end
of the triple jump sand pit, where the 14-year-old was competing. When
the whistle blew to mark the end of the session, he left the triple jump
and went to the shot put to see how far his friend had thrown. At the
same time, another pupil was completing his throw, turning as he did so
he was facing away from the zone. The shot hit the pupil on the back of
the head, causing a severely fractured skull and internal swelling. He
was in hospital for nearly a month but was able to return to school the
following term.
The court heard the teenager is no longer able to take part in some contact sports and may suffer longer-term issues.
HSE
found the school had carried out a risk assessment for PE lessons.
However, although it had referenced the guidance by the Association for
Physical Education (APE), it did not follow their recommendation that
such lessons be restricted to a maximum of four sports with only one to
be a throwing event. The school’s inclusion of six sports with three
throwing events, had significantly increased the risks to pupils, as had
the proximity of the triple jump pit to the shot put landing zone.
The
Governing Body of The Judd School, Tonbridge, Kent, was fined £10,000
and ordered to pay £1,375 in costs after admitting a breach of Section
3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. Magistrates agreed
with HSE that the safety breach had been ‘substantial’.
After the
hearing, HSE inspector Kevin Golding said: “By not adopting the measures
identified in their own risk assessment, The Judd School put pupils at
serious risk leading to a 14-year-old boy being struck by a shot put and
suffering life-threatening injuries. It was a horrifying incident for
him and his family and, of course, the rest of the pupils and the school
itself. While he is thankfully back at school, he will have to live
with the consequences of the incident for the rest of his life. It is
vitally important that schools review their risk assessments for all PE
lessons, but in particular for multi-sports lessons, to check that they
are safe.”
CRS
assists schools with health and safety risks assessments, and could
have helped ensure that APE guidance was noted and incorporated into the
planning of lessons. Contact CRS at 01283 509175 for more information,
or to obtain a free copy of the APE guidance.
No comments:
Post a Comment