Fears flagged over delayed checks of Highland schools' gym equipment
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
SCHOOL children have potentially been put at risk due to delayed inspections of gym equipment.
Urgent safety checks are underway after a spot check found a former contractor failed to keep proper inspection records.
The private company lost documents and failed to properly record which machines were unfit for use.
The errors are catalogued in a damning 12-page audit report, which slams Highland Council officials for failing to properly monitor the contract.
Senior Highland councillor Margaret Davidson said a youngster could have been injured by the blunder.
Cllr Davidson, who chairs the Audit and Scrutiny Committee, said:“This was a a really disastrous contract. I've never read anything like that before.”
A council spokeswoman said a new contract was now in place and inspections are underway.
The matter came to light this week.
And new plans are being drawn up which could leave teachers liable for injuries.
Councillor Davidson said moves are underway to ensure teachers regularly check the equipment and remove anything that is damaged.
The independent councillor for Aird and Loch Ness understands a senior property officer is seeking talks with education chiefs in a bid to put more onus on teachers.
She added: “The kit gets inspected in a yearly MOT but he thinks it needs to be done more often than that. He’s looking for teachers to do a lot more. They could do visual inspections and be much more aware of any problems and be pro-active. If they see a rip in a safety mat it should get thrown out.”
Councillor Davidson has called for regular updates on the inspections.
She added: “It was a really poor contact and it was poorly monitored but I’m pleased to say it was stopped and we are now into a new contract.
“I think we need assurance that the new contract is working properly. There are some real health and safety issues here.”
A spokeswoman for the council said all equipment was being checked over.
She added: “A programme has been agreed with the contractor which identifies all the equipment which requires to be checked and tested in each case.
“We would anticipate feedback from these inspections within the next couple of months, following which a report will go before a future meeting of the audit and scrutiny committee.”
