East Dunbartonshire Council fined for school safety violations

A local council in Scotland has been fined over £14,000 due to a carbon monoxide leak at a primary school. East Dunbartonshire Council admitted to breaking health and safety rules from December 2017 to February 2020. The incident occurred at Balmuildy Primary School in Bishopbriggs, where high levels of carbon monoxide were found coming from a backup boiler. Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that the school had to be evacuated because the leak posed a serious risk to students and staff. Sheriff Jonathan Guy stated that he was disappointed by the council's failure to protect the safety of children and teachers. Although he wanted to impose a much larger fine, the law limited him to £14,331. On February 19, 2020, teachers noticed a strange smell and opened windows in classrooms for fresh air. A health and safety official had visited the school the week prior but could not test the boiler due to a lack of equipment. After a teacher used a domestic carbon monoxide detector, it alarmed, leading to further investigation. It was found that one of the boilers was leaking due to poor maintenance. The prosecution explained that the leak posed a dangerous risk, and the situation could have been life-threatening if the carbon monoxide levels had increased further. The council had performed boiler tests in 2017 and 2018, but necessary repairs had not been made in time. Following the incident, extensive repairs have been carried out on various school systems in the area, and plans for replacing Balmuildy Primary School are now underway. Counsel for the council expressed regret for the incident and emphasized their commitment to ensuring the safety of all staff and pupils in the future.