Bryan Slater Director of Education	Distribution
	High, Middle, First & Middle and Special Schools

This document needs your action as detailed below:

ACTION	Title	Serious Accident in Science Laboratory
	Summary of contents	A serious accident has occurred during a Science lesson at an Independent school in Norfolk resulting in severe burns to the pupil involved. The injuries sustained were considered by Norfolk Fire Service to be potentially life threatening. A prosecution is about to be brought by the Health and Safety Executive and Norfolk Fire Service. The attached sheet gives details of the circumstances of the accident and describes the general precautions that should be taken to prevent a similar accident.
	Associated documents	Health and Safety Manual, Section 4 – Fire Safety Health and Safety Code of Practice: Science Health and Safety Code of Practice: Design & Technology
	Date	January 2004
	Summary of action required	Headteachers/Heads of Department must ensure that the necessary precautions have been taken to manage activities involving use of naked flames. Schools should ensure that staff know what actions to take if a child’s clothing caught fire in higher fire risk areas, e.g. Science or Design & Technology.
	To be completed by	March 2004
	LEA Contact	Paul Commins	(	01603 223470
	E-mail address	paul.commins@norfolk.gov.uk
	Norfolk Self Review reference	5. How well does the school care for its pupils?
	Document reference	MI 14/04

Serious Accident at Independent School in Norfolk

Details of Incident

During a science lesson activity, the shirt worn by a 12 year old pupil caught fire resulting in severe burns to the upper torso. The accident was considered by Norfolk Fire Service to have been potentially life threatening.

The class was working on a Nuffield Science Key Stage 3 activity – Air and Burning.

The incident has highlighted the risk of ignition of clothing from any naked flame in the classroom. The pupil was wearing a shirt and tie with the shirt tucked into the trousers and the tie tucked into the shirt.

Prevention of Similar Accidents

The following were not necessarily features of this incident, but schools must ensure that suitable precautions for the safe management of activities involving naked flames have been taken and that general fire precautions and emergency procedures are in place and understood by staff.

Schools should ensure that the following factors have been considered:

· Suitable risk assessment of the activity and action taken on the findings

· Standard safe method of conducting such an experiment – reference to CLEAPSS guidance

· Safety briefing to pupils on how to conduct the experiment safely

· Safe layout of items on work surface to minimise chance of leaning over the naked flame

· Supervision of activity

· Clothing worn by pupils – consider use of lab coats, no baggy clothing

· Classroom layout to support supervision

· Suitable and sufficient fire fighting equipment is available with staff competent in its use and aware of emergency action procedures where a person’s clothes are on fire

· Do staff in higher risk fire areas such as Science and Design & Technology know which type of extinguisher or other item of fire fighting equipment to use and its location?

· Has a fire risk assessment for the work area been carried out and actions taken on the findings using the checklist contained in section 4 of the Health and Safety Manual? Has the fire risk assessment been reviewed and does it reflect current circumstances?