The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has issued a warning to schools not to allow pupils to handle hazardous materials without proper risk assessment, after a 16-year-old schoolgirl lost most of her fingers through handling plaster of Paris during an art class.

In January 2007, the pupil decided to make a plaster cast of her hands during an A-level Art and Design class – another student had made a similar cast in the class weeks before the accident.

The pupil sought the advice of her teacher and mixed plaster of Paris with water. However, she was unaware that plaster of Paris heats up to high temperatures when mixed with water and inserted both her hands into the mixture. She found the plaster began to set to the extent she could not remove her hands. Ambulance crews were unable to release her hands as the plaster continued to set – she was taken to Boston Hospital and was later transferred to the burns unit at Nottingham City Hospital.

Her hands were so badly burned that surgeons had to amputate her fingers – the thumb, middle, ring, index and little fingers on her left hand; as well as  the thumb, little and ring fingers on her right hand. The student was left with just two fingers on her right hand.

The HSE investigation found that a risk assessment as required by law for the handling of hazardous substances had not been carried out by the school; and the class pupils had not been advised by the teacher concerned of the potential dangers of handling plaster of Paris.

The pupils had not been instructed to wear gloves or other protective equipment when handling the substance – and in addition, the school’s governing body did not report the incident: the HSE was advised of the accident by the girl’s plastic surgeon.

On Monday (12/10/09) at Boston Magistrates' Court, the governing body of the Giles School of Church End, Old Leake in Boston pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and regulation 3(1) (c) of the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995. The court imposed a fine of £16,500 and £2,500 costs.

The school’s governing body was deemed responsible rather than the local authority because the school has foundation status and is therefore not governed by the local authority.

After the hearing, HSE inspector Jo Anderson said that it was ‘simply not acceptable’ that pupils were not being ‘informed and prepared’ for the risks involved in handling hazardous materials:

‘The message we want the public to understand is that risk assessments in educational establishments must not be viewed as burdensome – but instead paramount to pupil safety.’

‘This case has prompted a general drive for HSE to offer advice and awareness at independent schools. Governing bodies of independent schools must realise the importance of the implementation of health and safety measures to prevent further incidents which can have such a drastic effect on students’ lives.’

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