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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think they put us in danger

64 replies

Heartbrokengirl14 · 08/10/2019 07:55

I work in a school. Yesterday there was a gas leak, it was very strong, could smell it before I reached the entrance. SLT decided to delay start to the day and send students home if they had already arrived. Children were all fine.
However all staff where made to sit in a gas filled school and wait for 2 hours before being sent home as school had to wait to see if the gas board could quickly fix it and the school could reopen.
I understand there is a procedure and they need permission to close the school but surely exposing the staff to a gas is plan stupid. Or do other schools do this?
AIBU to contact the union and complain? Would they do anything?

OP posts:

IdblowJonSnow · 08/10/2019 08:57

Op's question was were they being unreasonable. Yes they were. Easy to say you'd have gone outside, not everyone is that assertive. And headaches/nausea wouldn't have been felt from the outset.
It's a fair comment to say they should have left the building anyway but does every single poster need to berate her after this experience?

Fundays12 · 08/10/2019 08:58

That’s absolutely unacceptable and a real HSE risk nobody should have been in the building until the gas engineers cleared it. We had a suspected gas leak at my office last year the whole building was evacuated for an hour until it was clear. I

Zaphodsotherhead · 08/10/2019 08:58

@Brefugee - we had no rep. I went straight to Union HQ to the actual members. No alternative union for us (support staff).

Nobody was interested. It seemed to me they were all busy trying to keep their heads down and not get involved with a pay issue.

londonrach · 08/10/2019 09:02

This needs taking further op. Hope you ok

DrBlackbird · 08/10/2019 09:04

Some not very supportive replies. Never mind that it's always much easier to know exactly what to do after the fact.

But if the OP did say to SLT that she'd go wait outside presumably this meant in the close vicinity. Even then she'd have been exposed to the gas (yes to a lesser extent) but more worryingly at risk from an explosion. If children could leave and be expected to come back if it reopened, then so could the teachers.

Sorry this happened OP and hope you feel better soon . It is hard to go against your boss. Definitely complain or at the very least ask the union rep, gas company, or local fire station to clarify the correct procedure should it happen again.

WorraLiberty · 08/10/2019 09:05

If an adult doesn't have the wherewithal to say "No, I'm not going to sit in a gas filled room, I'll wait outside", then frankly I question their suitability when it comes to looking after and safeguarding children.

Harsh but very true.

If they'd made you sit in class surrounded by pupils, would you have done that too?

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 08/10/2019 09:14

could smell it before I reached the entrance.

I wouldn’t have even walked in! Why did you? You don’t walk into a gas leak. You should’ve walked away and phoned the school from your mobile to tell them you could smell gas and were remaining outside until they told you it was safe to come in.

JoxerGoesToStuttgart · 08/10/2019 09:16

Agree with this. I can’t believe a whole school of staff just sat there! I’m a bit worried about the level of intelligence of these adults responsible for hundreds of children!

Did you go to hospital OP?

pappajonessecretchild · 08/10/2019 09:18

op, I work in a school for children with complex needs, last year we had a suspected gas leak. The school was evacuated to a secondary school which is very near. Staff kept students in the secondary school hall whilst parents were notified, but staff were to remain in the secondary until the gas board could give the all clear. It became a longer job than first anticipated so all staff were sent home. i suggest that your school look at their policy on how to evacuate in an emergency for your own peace of mind! Have you got another school or hall nearby?

ymf117 · 08/10/2019 09:19

No way should you have been made to stay, or made to feel like you couldn't ask to leave. That's what I'd be questioning, working for someone that is clearly unreasonable and unapproachable. Please complain loudly.

missbattenburg · 08/10/2019 09:20

As the study above quoted, almost everyone would have just sat there if others were doing so. It's very easy to say "I would have walked out" but scientific studies indicate you are likely just fooling yourself. We cannot all be the 1 out of 10 who leave and the chances are much higher you and I are among the 9 out of 10 who stay.

AlansLeftMoob · 08/10/2019 09:23

"All staff were made to sit in a gas filled school for 2 hours"

How were you "made"?! Did nobody say "this isn't healthy let's wait outside"?!

This is bizarre

Longdistance · 08/10/2019 09:26

That is so wrong.

We had a gas leak at the end of term, no children in the school as it was closed but staff were present, we were sent home, which is what should’ve happened in your case.

TheAlternativeTentacle · 08/10/2019 09:28

I agree that your school needs a plan for what to do if it happened again, that doesn't involve just sitting there breathing in gas.

I think you as teachers need to have a meeting to decide which of you will take leadership in times like this, all of you should have been able to say 'this is dangerous' and left.

Were the SMT sat in the room as well?

Zaphodsotherhead · 08/10/2019 09:34

Anyone who says 'I would have got up and walked out' has never worked in a school with a bullying SLT.

They make it very clear what happens to those who break ranks. And OP hasn't said she's a teacher. If you are support staff, it's twice as bad.

Unknownanon · 08/10/2019 09:38

It's terrible of the school to push that however the first rule of being safe and risk assessing is that there is not just one person doing it. Safety is the responsibility of everyone, including the person being told to act unsafely.

You should have refused and stayed outside. While your school with probably get safety training, so will all of you that sat in that room. You are responsible for your own safety too.

WorraLiberty · 08/10/2019 09:40

That study was 51 years ago and involved only 24 people.

I really think people are more clued up on health and safety these days and also employees rights.

Sarahandco · 08/10/2019 09:42

Please tell me you didn't actually wait inside the building?

Unknownanon · 08/10/2019 09:43

Agreeing with WorraLiberty. H&S is a much bigger thing now. All the workplaces I've been in have been very clued up and when there have been breeches, including bullies trying to push, it's quickly highlighted as everyone has a right to be safe. And everyone has a responsibility towards it: be they the supervisor, manager or operator.

FurrySlipperBoots · 08/10/2019 10:01

Has anyone got a large pinch of salt that I can take this thread with?

andyoldlabour · 08/10/2019 10:07

I cannot believe that adults stayed in a building with a gas leak. When we had a leak at home, British Gas told me to open windows and to get outside. When the engineer arrived I still stayed outside until they had fixed the leak.
I would be launching an official complaint to the school about this.

Becca19962014 · 08/10/2019 10:09

Many years ago a hospital department near to where I live (now closed) had a leak from their medication fridge. Gas was escaping into the building and it stank inside and out. The manager, a bully by anyone's standards, insisted everyone stayed inside and waited to see if they could continue to work as it was "just a smell". They closed the building to patients but staff were expected to work until told otherwise.

It was made clear only those with duties elsewhere were allowed to leave. The union worker was the managers wife so wouldn't go against him. Eventually he got fired as did his wife but it took far more than it should have.

I know people who work there, you would think HCP would just walk out, or anyone for that matter but they didn't, everyone knew it was their job if they did and his wife always backed him if he fired someone. HR/admin had all been removed to another county so getting backup was very difficult in person.

So I can see this happening, unfortunately. That manager would without doubt have fired everyone if he could. He was the rudest most unprofessional professional I ever met (and that's saying something!)

Becca19962014 · 08/10/2019 10:14

I know people did complain after but were told they should have just left. It wasn't that simple at the time given the circumstances.

I knew someone caught in 9/11 who was told if they left their desk they would be fired (they were in the second tower and left after the first was hit). They walked out. Had they stayed they would have died that day. Most of their colleagues didn't get out because they were to,d they'd be fired if they left.

Everanewbie · 08/10/2019 10:14

I'm sorry you were put under this pressure OP, but I really do feel that there is some truth in the statement 'you get the bosses you deserve'. If you feel that your health and safety is in danger, walk the F out and deal with the consequences later. No court in the land would uphold any disciplinary action against you.

2beesornot2beesthatisthehoney · 08/10/2019 10:22

We had a bomb scare at work about 25 years ago. It would go off at 3pm ( it was about 10am) ,the message said , Management said that people could leave at 2.30pm. Most who could leave for visits did asap including upper management.
I was incandescent but the Union was pathetic in its response.

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