School minibus operators and schools are under scrutiny after Bridgend Borough Council was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £30,000 costs by Cardiff Crown Court, for breaches of Health & Safety legislation.
It highlights how failure to take action after a series of ‘near-misses’ eventually led to a fatal collision at Maesteg School. Under Health & Safety law, everyone is responsible for safety.
The prosecution, brought by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), came after Ashley Talbot, 15, was killed in December 2014 when he was hit by a school minibus driven by a PE teacher. The teacher was not prosecuted.
The court heard that there was insufficient parking for school minibuses and coaches and that at the end of the school day there was a ‘traffic free-for-all’ outside the building.
The council had been warned about concerns over drop-off points, walkways and road parking during construction in 2008, but the council but didn’t do anything to rectify the problems.
The court heard that there were a number of ‘near-misses’, but again the council failed to act, and safety improvements recommended in 2011 were ignored. It meant pupils had to walk between parked vehicles to get into the road to board.
