Correct procedure for injury in hotel

[NoProcedureFollowed]

Good evening all,

I wonder is any legal bods on here can help me out with a issue I'm currently having.

My son (7 months) sustained a burn injury to his hand while staying in a hotel this weekend. He grabbed a radiator pipe. It was severe enough to require treatment at the local hospital.

Can anyone please inform me of the correct procedure I should have received from the hotel employees? I have looked online and cannot find any conclusive information. All I can find are personal injury sites.

We are not looking to make any sort of claim, my only interest is that this should not happen to another guest/child, but also that I believe the staff need better guidance or a refresher on procedure as apart from being given a local taxi firms number and our belongings being moved to a different room we received no help or interest.

I have already raised a complaint in writing with the manager and received a reply. To follow this up I would like to be clued in on what should have happened and highlight where we were let down/the staff failed in their responsibilities.

I believe there should have been an offer of first aid from a qualified member of staff, the incident should have been reported/logged with our signatures and comments the site of the accident to be investigated to prevent any future problems.

Am I right in thinking any of the above should have been done?

Tia.

where did this happen, in the uk? have you asked the manager these questions? what sort of hotel was it, small private B&B or part of a large chain?

In the uk, small private hotel.

As of yet I have not asked the manager, I wanted to be better informed before replying to him. As you could expect his first reply has been rather frosty and defensive.

I am not looking for any monetary compensation, more of a dialog in how things can and will be improved. My main concern is that a young child should not be hurt in the same way again.

Ive worked in a hotel for years. At the time of the accident an accident form should have been completed (or if you were blue lighted to hospital it should have been done immediatley on your return to the hotel).

Depending on the severity of the incident a RIDDOR report should have been submitted by the hotel. There is a time limit for these but not sure what that is.

The hotel manager should have reported the matter to whoever manages their health and safety on order to see if any action can be taken to prevent it occuring.

If you are.not satisfied with the response from the manager you can report it to an ombudsman.

Should I outright tell the manager that I am not interested in a claim so he has it in writing and would hopefully be more open to addressing the concerns I do have?

Dont mention a claim at all. It wont hurt to have them concerned that this could become a bigger issue.

If I was to write I would say something along the lines of
"I write regarding X incident which happened on Y date and resulted in me seeking medical attention for my young child. At x time this happened. After which we did y. At no point were we offered any first aid whilst in your premises, nor was a log taken of the incident. After seeking medical attention and returning to the hotel we were not invited to discuss the matter with the manager of duty nor did anyone follow up on the incident at any point. I have serious concerns about the lack of reporting and first aid, and would like you to outline to me the hotel's policy and procedure on accidents and incidences within the hotel, specifically those which ought to be RIDDOR reported, as I believe this instance to be. I would also request that any conversations surrounding the incident between management be relayed to me, with emphasis on what steps the hotel will take to prevent this happening to other guests moving forward. Please be aware that my son is still suffering form x and y and I believe that the hotel did not take adequate action in the follow up. Similarly I suspect that the risk assesments in place within the hotel are inadequate. I await your reply on the matter raised above, and hope that your are able to sufficiently address what I feel are significant shortfalls in Health and Safety management within your hotel. Regards...

Thank you NapQueen

No accident form was given or shown to us.

The time line was:

. Child injured
. Husband administered first aid while I went to ask for help
. Given taxi information
. Tell front desk we are leaving for the hospital but leaving belongings behind
. Employee arranges for bags to be moved to new room, told we will be charged night fee
. Child treated for burns at hospital
. Return to hotel to pick up belongings and change childs clothes (different staff at desk to morning)
. Leave after 30 minutes, pay fee and give back keys.
. Email manager complaint.
. Today, receive reply, several things incorrect in his version of events. But also states we have been refunded the same day for room we used for 30 minutes as they we able to let it out again if needed.

We had no communication from the staff after the hospital apart from paying the fee and leaving keys. No refund has appeared in our account as of yet.
They are asking for a medical report of childs injuries to complete their investigation. This I can provide as of tomorrow as I have to take him to be reviewed and have his dressings changed.
No mention of accident site being reviewed but did say it was the first accident involving the heating/pipes in x amount of time they have been open.

Sorry if this is muddled, I'm rather tired.

NapQueen you are a compete star! Thank you so much.

Ok so you know they are investigating which is helpful. Certainly include in any letter you send that you would like a copy of the investigation (with names omitted if they prefer).

Requesting a copy of the investigation, will definitely do that.

Contact Environmental Health at the local Council where the hotel is. They will investigate under H & S law.

ThreeLeggedCat that is on the list to do tomorrow when they are open. I have already informed the manager I will be doing so.

GDPR comes in in May, at which point you can request electronic copies of all information a company holds regarding you. So if you dont get a decent answer then go down this route in June.