Bath boarding school fined for exposing pupils and staff to high levels of radioactive gas
A boarding school in Bath has been fined £50,000 for exposing seven children and two adults to high levels of radioactive radon gas.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found Kingswood School in Bath failed to monitor radon levels for eight years, between 2010 and 2018.
In 2019, five pupils were exposed to levels of radon gas which is almost eight times the legal limit.
Two members of staff were also exposed to radioactive radon gas almost 3/4 of the legal limit while working and living at the school in the same year. Their two children, who lived with them but who did not study at the school, were exposed to levels of radon gas almost 14 times the legal limit.
Radon is a hazard in many homes and workplaces, and breathing it in is the second largest cause of lung cancer in the UK.
The gas, which is colourless and odourless, can seep out of the ground, building up in houses and indoor workplaces like schools.
Kingswood School Trustees Limited pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
At a hearing at Taunton Magistrates' Court on Wednesday 19 July 2023, the school was fined £50,000 and ordered to pay £19,222 in costs.
The school has apologised and says it "wholly accepts" the ruling.
HSE Principal Inspector (Radiation) Steward Robertson, said: "The fine imposed on Kingswood School Trustees Limited should underline to everyone in the education sector that the courts, and HSE, take a failure to follow the regulations extremely seriously."
He added they "will not hesitate to take action" against companies who do not do everything they should to keep people safe.
An investigation by the HSE found Kingswood School knew they had a radon problem as far back as 2007 when they carried out monitoring and installed some remediation to reduce radon levels.
But between 2010 and 2018, the school carried out no subsequent radon monitoring and had no systems in place to ensure radon control measures were accurate, investigators from the HSE found.
It was only after intervention from the HSE in 2018 that the school discovered their previous radon problem, leading to further radon monitoring and remediation to reduce radon levels.
A spokesperson for Kingswood School said: “While the overwhelming majority of our school has radon levels that are similar to those across the rest of Bath, because of our location, we have a small area of our school where radon levels can exceed the minimum standards.
“To address this, in 2010 a number of measures were installed in a small number of areas to mitigate the risk of higher than average radon levels.
"Regrettably, however, after the installation of these devices, the school did not adequately monitor and record radon levels between 2010 and 2019.
“We are sorry that we have fallen short in the management of this important element.
"Over the last four years we have already made many additional changes to ensure that our radon mitigation, monitoring and recording far exceeds recommended standards. We will continue to work with leading experts in the field to provide additional expertise and assurance.”