East Dunbartonshire Council fined £14,000 over carbon monoxide leak at primary school

A Scottish council has been fined £14,331 following a carbon monoxide leak at one of its primary schools.

East Dunbartonshire Council pled guilty to breaching health and safety conditions between December 2017 and February 2020.

Balmuildy Primary School in Bishopbriggs was evacuated after “fatal” levels of carbon monoxide were found leaking from a backup boiler.

Several pupils and staff had been sent home the previous day with symptoms of headaches and nausea.

An investigation found that the incident could have “resulted in death.”

Sheriff Jonathan Guy stated that he would have imposed a greater sentence if his powers enabled him to.

The sheriff told the court that based on English guidelines, there was a sentencing range between £100,000 to £250,000.

Sheriff Guy said: “Society would be appalled by the council’s failure of the wellbeing of teachers and children.

“In terms of harm caused to children and teachers, there was significant risk to health and safety with children becoming unwell and one fainted.

“The failing to carry out these checks are well known and included the risk of death.

“It should be obvious that these checks are carried out in a school where employees and children are required to attend.”

Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that teachers had opened windows in their classrooms to provide fresh air on February 19, 2020.

The hearing was told that one child fainted when a teacher took their class outside for an early interval.

Other kids complained of sickness symptoms and were sent inside to see a first aider.

The teacher also reported symptoms and was advised by the head teacher to rest in the staff room with water and paracetamol.

The health and safety team leader had attended the previous week and investigated a “strange smell.”

A test on the boiler could not be conducted at the time due to a “lack of equipment.”

Initial tests with gas sniffer equipment in the kitchen above the boiler house did not show any leaks.

A teacher brought in a domestic carbon monoxide detector, which went off.

Further carbon monoxide detectors were purchased from a hardware shop that also sounded alarms to indicate its presence in the school.

Prosecutor Richard Brown said: “All staff and pupils were evacuated to the grass pitch area of the school.

“No individual in the incident sought medical treatment.

“On February 19, 2020, 35 children and four staff members complained of headaches, nausea and sickness.

“A total of 11 children were sent home that day, and some staff reported their symptoms carried on into the evening of the same day.”

An investigation was carried out which found one of the boilers to be leaking carbon monoxide in the school’s plant room.

Mr Brown stated that this was “due to a lack of routine maintenance.”

He added: “There were elevated levels of carbon monoxide within the school for some time, despite the opening of a large number of windows within the building, allowing for increased ventilation.”

“The investigation report states that the gas leak, entering the school through the pathway in the boiler room created a high risk to all those present in the school when the boiler was in operation.

“This could have resulted in death had the carbon monoxide built up to fatal levels at the school.”

The boilers at the school had been tested in 2018 with an earlier service taking place in 2017.

No gas safety ticket was produced in relation to the serving of the boilers.

Extensive repairs have since been carried out at various schools in the council area.

Barry Smith, defending, told the court that the council had been using an older system to record maintenance, which had now been replaced.

The advocate added: “I record the regret of all associated with the council.

“They are thankful that no lasting harm was caused to the public and staff at the primary school.

“The safety of staff and pupils is the number one priority.”