School Safety
I came across the following article from the BBC Scotland web site which tells the sorry tale of a young girl who was badly, almost fatally, injured by a serious accident at her school - Galashiels Academy in the Scottish Borders.
I can understand how Nadine Craig feels because it has taken six years to settle the case and at the end of the day - no one has taken personal responsibility for what happened to her.
Not the teacher who appears to have refused to carry out the necessary safety checks - nor the local council apparently allowed the situation to continue which put the safety of school pupils at risk.
The teacher involved has long since disappeared by taking early retirement (after being removed from classroom duties) and the Scottish Borders Council has since admitted liability - having been fined £48,000 for its health and safety failures plus £27,000 in compensation to Nadine - all of which comes out of the public purse, of course.
Every year the teaching unions put out a press release about the money that they have recovered for injuries sustained by teachers in Scottish schools - so I thought I'd balance things up a bit by sharing the Nadine's tale for which, as she says, no one has been held personally accountable.
Galashiels Academy lathe safety breach lands council £48,000 fine
The council admitted the safety breaches at Galashiels Academy in 2007
A council has been fined £48,000 for health and safety breaches after an incident in which a schoolgirl was dragged into a lathe by her scarf.
Nadine Craig, who was 14 at the time, was pulled into the machine in November 2007 and freed by fellow pupils.
She received 40 stitches to a wound in her neck and it was six months before she returned to Galashiels Academy.
At Selkirk Sheriff Court, Scottish Borders Council admitted failing to provide a proper guard for the lathe.
It also admitted not carrying out risk assessments on machines in the Craft and Design Technology classes over a period of almost three years.
The council had said there had been "tension" with the teacher over risk assessments as he stated he was not trained nor had the time to carry them out.
In his findings, Sheriff Kevin Drummond said: "It was wrong of him to fail to comply and it was wrong of the authority to allow it to continue."
He also pointed out a guard was available for the machine which could have been purchased for £260 plus fitting costs.
Sheriff Drummond described the offences as a "serious failure" and said the gravity of the breach meant he would impose a fine of £72,000.
He awarded the council full credit for the early guilty plea and reduced the fine to £48,000.
At an earlier hearing the council said the teacher was "removed from classroom duties after this incident and shortly afterwards took early retirement".
Ms Craig, now 20, was awarded £27,000 when a civil claim for damages was settled in 2011.
However, she said she was unhappy with how the matter had been handled.
"It was terrifying at the time - I could have died," she said.
"I don't feel like I've had justice because no one personally has been made accountable for this.
"I have to live with this scar for the rest of my life and it is something I am ashamed of people seeing."
A council spokesman said the authority had offered an "unreserved apology" to Ms Craig.
"The council has accepted its responsibility, having made an early plea in court, and a full safety review of technical classes in all secondary schools was carried out immediately after the accident," he added.
I wrote the other day about the teaching unions in Scotland spreading ridiculous scare stories - of exaggerating issues out of all proportion to their real impact.
See post dated 7 January 2012: 'Scary Stories'.
Imagine my surprise then - and delight if I'm honest - when I came across the following article from the BBC's web site archive - from 2002 would you believe.
Now to me this is almost exactly the same story as the one that appeared in the newspapers - just the other day.
So it seems that this shock horror story is simply dusted down every year - given a new lick of paint and a extra good helping of spin - take your pick from cuts, stress or teachers' workload etc etc etc.
Before being released on an unsuspecting public - as if the situation in Scottish schools is spinning wildly out of control.
To my mind the people behind this nonsense - should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
But you'd think as well that the employers' organisation - COSLA - would get wise to it after all this time - instead of being caught out and made to look so flat-footed every year.
Injured teachers win £500,000 (2002)
Compensation awards added up to more than £500,000
Scottish teachers received more than £500,000 in compensation this year for injuries sustained at work.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said that the vast majority of incidents could have been avoided.
But Scottish councils complained that the figures showed the country had gone "compensation mad".
Most accidents of this type could be avoided if local councils and schools observed straightforward health and safety requirements.
The biggest single pay-out secured by the EIS was £225,000 for a teacher who fell down stairs while dealing with an unruly pupil.
The teacher sustained a serious injury and was not able to work again.
One teacher was awarded £1,000 after falling into an orchestra pit, another secured £3,500 after being hit when a large window which fell into a classroom, and another was awarded £81,839 after being assaulted with a ruler by a pupil.
However, many of the other accidents involved slips and trips on wet, icy or poorly maintained surfaces.
EIS general secretary Ronnie Smith said: "Pursuing action on behalf of teachers and lecturers at work is a very important part of EIS day-to-day work.
"While the first responsibility lies with the employer to ensure a safe working environment and also to support teachers who are injured, the EIS on many occasions supports members in pursuing cases to the courts.
"The reality is that most accidents of this type could be avoided if local councils and schools observed straightforward health and safety requirements."
The EIS said it would rather see a safer working environment for teachers than such high compensation payouts.
Some of the claims highlight the need for people to take more responsibility
Helen Law, the education spokeswoman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), said councils tried to ensure the safety of properties and the people in them.
But she said: "Even with the best intentions, there are likely to be some accidents at work which may be difficult to avoid."
Ms Law pointed to the case of the teacher who fell down stairs while dealing with an unruly pupil.
"It is extremely difficult to see how councils can take health and safety to a level which prevents this sort of accident which happens day in and day out in normal life", she said.
And she added: "Some of the claims highlight the need for people to take more responsibility."
"Like America, we seem to have gone compensation mad."
A council has been fined £48,000 for health and safety breaches after an incident in which a schoolgirl was dragged into a lathe by her scarf.
Nadine Craig, who was 14 at the time, was pulled into the machine in November 2007 and freed by fellow pupils.
She received 40 stitches to a wound in her neck and it was six months before she returned to Galashiels Academy.
At Selkirk Sheriff Court, Scottish Borders Council admitted failing to provide a proper guard for the lathe.
It also admitted not carrying out risk assessments on machines in the Craft and Design Technology classes over a period of almost three years.
The council had said there had been "tension" with the teacher over risk assessments as he stated he was not trained nor had the time to carry them out.
In his findings, Sheriff Kevin Drummond said: "It was wrong of him to fail to comply and it was wrong of the authority to allow it to continue."
He also pointed out a guard was available for the machine which could have been purchased for £260 plus fitting costs.
Sheriff Drummond described the offences as a "serious failure" and said the gravity of the breach meant he would impose a fine of £72,000.
He awarded the council full credit for the early guilty plea and reduced the fine to £48,000.
At an earlier hearing the council said the teacher was "removed from classroom duties after this incident and shortly afterwards took early retirement".
Ms Craig, now 20, was awarded £27,000 when a civil claim for damages was settled in 2011.
However, she said she was unhappy with how the matter had been handled.
"It was terrifying at the time - I could have died," she said.
"I don't feel like I've had justice because no one personally has been made accountable for this.
"I have to live with this scar for the rest of my life and it is something I am ashamed of people seeing."
A council spokesman said the authority had offered an "unreserved apology" to Ms Craig.
"The council has accepted its responsibility, having made an early plea in court, and a full safety review of technical classes in all secondary schools was carried out immediately after the accident," he added.
New Coat of Paint (8 January 2012)
I wrote the other day about the teaching unions in Scotland spreading ridiculous scare stories - of exaggerating issues out of all proportion to their real impact.
See post dated 7 January 2012: 'Scary Stories'.
Imagine my surprise then - and delight if I'm honest - when I came across the following article from the BBC's web site archive - from 2002 would you believe.
Now to me this is almost exactly the same story as the one that appeared in the newspapers - just the other day.
So it seems that this shock horror story is simply dusted down every year - given a new lick of paint and a extra good helping of spin - take your pick from cuts, stress or teachers' workload etc etc etc.
Before being released on an unsuspecting public - as if the situation in Scottish schools is spinning wildly out of control.
To my mind the people behind this nonsense - should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.
But you'd think as well that the employers' organisation - COSLA - would get wise to it after all this time - instead of being caught out and made to look so flat-footed every year.
Injured teachers win £500,000 (2002)
Compensation awards added up to more than £500,000
Scottish teachers received more than £500,000 in compensation this year for injuries sustained at work.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said that the vast majority of incidents could have been avoided.
But Scottish councils complained that the figures showed the country had gone "compensation mad".
Most accidents of this type could be avoided if local councils and schools observed straightforward health and safety requirements.
The biggest single pay-out secured by the EIS was £225,000 for a teacher who fell down stairs while dealing with an unruly pupil.
The teacher sustained a serious injury and was not able to work again.
One teacher was awarded £1,000 after falling into an orchestra pit, another secured £3,500 after being hit when a large window which fell into a classroom, and another was awarded £81,839 after being assaulted with a ruler by a pupil.
However, many of the other accidents involved slips and trips on wet, icy or poorly maintained surfaces.
EIS general secretary Ronnie Smith said: "Pursuing action on behalf of teachers and lecturers at work is a very important part of EIS day-to-day work.
"While the first responsibility lies with the employer to ensure a safe working environment and also to support teachers who are injured, the EIS on many occasions supports members in pursuing cases to the courts.
"The reality is that most accidents of this type could be avoided if local councils and schools observed straightforward health and safety requirements."
The EIS said it would rather see a safer working environment for teachers than such high compensation payouts.
Some of the claims highlight the need for people to take more responsibility
Helen Law, the education spokeswoman for the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla), said councils tried to ensure the safety of properties and the people in them.
But she said: "Even with the best intentions, there are likely to be some accidents at work which may be difficult to avoid."
Ms Law pointed to the case of the teacher who fell down stairs while dealing with an unruly pupil.
"It is extremely difficult to see how councils can take health and safety to a level which prevents this sort of accident which happens day in and day out in normal life", she said.
And she added: "Some of the claims highlight the need for people to take more responsibility."
"Like America, we seem to have gone compensation mad."
