H&S incident at nursery

[NoodleDoodle97]

Today, our DD nursery rang to tell of an incident what had happened. For the last 3 days they have been having a new roof. One of the workers today fell through the roof, taking out a ceiling panel. Luckily nothing fell and luckily the children and him were ok but it could have been very bad. Would you report this to ofsted or somewhere else as I don’t think they should be working on a roof when there is children below. The owner of the roofing company apparently was devastated and said this does happen but he’s really sorry it’s happen in a nursery

I am genuinely no expert - but I heve just read through the RIDDOR reportable guidance twice and I can't see how this is reportable. And by reportable, I neqn reportable by the construction company.

If you could point me to the specific part of the guidance, I would be genuinely interested.

And as for those who says, the op can report it to the HSE, I have already linked to the guidance which says health and safety concerns regarding nurseries should be reported to the local authority.

I could be wrong.. I only have a little bit of knowledge which is a dangerous thing.

If anyone, the H&S Exec. But the roofers shound be doing that if their worker was injured.

If I were you I'd ask the nursery what the roofing company are doing to prevent a reoccurrence.

This is not RIDDOR reportable. There is a very specific list of what is reported to the HSE and this is not it.
They are also understaffed and target bigger businesses (more £££ to fine). Please do not waste their time.

Re the roofing companies comment, did pp expect him to give a full report on the spot?
Ask for feedback on what went wrong and what will prevent it happening again.
If the structure was inspected properly, deemed strong enough and processes followed then I'd not see an issue with it happening with kids in the building. Something went wrong with that.

The next question to ask is about their contractor selection. How did they choose them? Did the nursery ask for certification and references?

I promise, I am not being difficult but there is a lot of Law floating around. Can you point me to the relevant bit?

@MarzipanAndFrenchFancies you've applied your knowledge well!

That depends on how badly the worker who fell through the roof was injured. If he's incapacitated for more than 7 days then it's reportable.

It sounds like a bit of a freak accident - I mean most people live in their houses while they are being re-roofed.

If you search what is reportable under RiDDOR.
Find the link for Dangerous Occurrence.
www.hse.gov.uk/riddor/dangerous-occurences.htm
It's list what is covered in workplaces that are not off shore.

This is an extract:

Structural collapse (paragraphs 23-24)
Only structural collapses associated with ongoing construction, maintenance and demolition work are required to be reported under the definition in paragraph 23: ‘the unintentional collapse or partial collapse of:

• any structure, which involves a fall of more than 5 tonnes of material, or
• any floor or wall of any place of work’

The fall was dangerous, but the “dangerous occurences” that are reportable under RIDDOR are specified occurrences as opposed to anything that is dangerous. If the reason for the fall was a collapse of scaffolding, that does class as a dangerous occurrence, but if that isn’t the reason for the fall, it’s not a reportable dangerous occurrence.

That is incorrect. It is reportable as a Dangerous Occurrence.

It falls under RIDDOR dangerous occurrences. If a floor or wall collapses unintentionally in a workplace whilst work is being carried out, you have to report it, even if lucky and no one injured. Presumably because of the high rate of construction deaths

Thank you 😊 My 4 day IOSH course has paid off. I genuinely feel for the op, it must have been very upsetting and I will leave now rather than derail any further

Just because he fell and could have died makes it reportable.

The scaffold reference is for offshore. Not onshore. Please check the links I have shared.

It is reportable as a dangerous occurrence.

OP, if you do feel you need to follow up, you can ask the nursery if the incident has been reported to HSE, and to keep you informed as to the outcome of any investigation. You wouldn't report it yourself unless you really think they're lying, but since they told you about the incident it sounds like they're being open and honest.

Presumably they were repairing the roof because it was unsafe - are you suggesting they just leave it until the roof falls in of its own accord?

Exactly this! That would be another moan!

How about repair it in a safe manner so the worker was not at risk of death on a Friday afternoon?

But the floor and wall didn't collapse.

I think the question about reporting it and who to depends on what you want to achieve by reporting it and what the consequences might be.

Once you’ve worked that out, is that the only way to achieve it and are the consequences worth it?

So, if example it is you are concerned your child isn’t safe and this was a safeguarding risk, a report to OFSTED could be appropriate but the consequences may include either your child no longer being welcome at the nursery or the nursery shutting down. Unless you are planning to remove your child in any event, are these possibilities worth a report?

As for RIDDOR, it will be for the business to report if/when it reaches the requirements to make a RIDDOR report. If your concern is ensuring that the roofing business has the right risk assessments and method statements in place to protect its employees and other members of the public, and again willing to accept the risk that the nursery may come under scrutiny with the possible consequences as above, then report away.

This. Thank God no one was hurt but there’s a foreseeable risk and work should take place on the weekend.

Close the nursery then until made safe!

Don't be stupid

ETA - the nursery will report to Ofsted accordingly themselves. Don't be a busybody

Do building contractors have to report accidents like this to the HSE anyway?

Advice from DH who is senior in H&S is to absolutely report it to the HSE - even if the nursery/roofing company do it too, the more reports the better. He's now talking at me about all the many reasons why this should be done but I'm having a glass of wine and have switched off a little 🤣 but basically, no to OFSTED but 100% yes to the HSE.