When no child, let alone a 10 month-old, should have any possible access to these hazards, especially in a nursery
What happened?
A 10 month-old boy was in a room in Little Dreams Nursery in Aberdeen while it was being cleaned in November 2021. There was a bucket placed on the floor containing boiling water and bleach. There were two members of staff present in the room, but the boy managed to tip the contents of the bucket over himself.
The child’s parents took the boy to the hospital where he was treated for partial blistering to his leg and forearm.
The case took five years to get to court. The parents said: “In the months and years that followed, we had to watch our boy deal with the consequences of something that was never his fault. No parent should have to experience that, but we are thankful what happened hasn’t had a more serious or longer-lasting impact.”
Legal Outcome
Little Dreams Nursery admitted failing to have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment, and safe system of work, for the cleaning of the premises in August 2026. They were issued a fine of £7,500.
The family previously received a five-figure compensation payout.
What can we learn from what happened?
The media report covering this case doesn’t provide detail on whether the bleach contributed to the injuries sustained by the boy, or whether it was just the boiling water. Either way, there are two very obvious and very serious hazards, and there is no way that any child, let alone a 10 month-old, should have had any chance of access to them. Given the setting was a nursery, this really should have been obvious.
And it should be noted that the criminal prosecution took five years from accident to conviction. A long time for justice to take its course.
Source of Information
BBC News Online