ABERDEEN — A nursery has been fined after a 10-month-old boy was badly burned when he tipped a bucket of boiling water mixed with bleach over himself while staff were cleaning the room.
Little Dreams Nursery in Aberdeen admitted breaching health and safety regulations at Aberdeen Sheriff Court. Sheriff Harry Small said the incident in November 2021 was entirely preventable and avoidable, and imposed a fine of £7,500.
The boy cannot be named for legal reasons. His family said the fine felt too low, but they wanted to move on after a case that has taken nearly five years to conclude.
How the injury happened during cleaning
The court heard that two staff members were caring for children and beginning to serve snacks when one boiled a kettle and poured the water into a bucket with a cap of bleach. The bucket was then left on the floor.
After a splash was heard, staff realised one of the children had tipped the bucket over himself. The mixture caused severe injury, and the nursery later admitted it had failed to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and to put in place a safe system of work for cleaning.
Those failures meant the child was able to reach the bucket while he was in the room being cleaned. The case focused on the basic safety steps that should have stopped a hazardous cleaning substance being left within a child’s reach.
Medical treatment and the family's response
Fiscal depute Lisa Duffus told the court that the child’s clothes were removed, he was placed in a sink of water and then wrapped in clingfilm before his parents took him to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
At hospital, he was treated for partial blistering to his leg and forearm. The family also previously received a five-figure compensation payment, separate from the criminal proceedings.
In a statement through Digby Brown, they described the case as a horrific chapter in their lives and said they had waited five years for the nursery to admit responsibility. They added that the severity of the injuries had not been properly acknowledged.
What the nursery and defence said in court
Defence advocate Barry Smith KC told the court that the safety and wellbeing of children had to be the first priority in any nursery. He said everyone involved deeply regretted that the accident happened and that a young child was hurt.
The nursery said the safety, wellbeing and care of every child entrusted to it was of the highest priority. It said it deeply regretted that the incident was able to happen and was profoundly sorry for the distress and impact on the child and his family.
The family said they were thankful the injury had not had more serious or longer-lasting consequences. They added that they now wanted privacy as they moved forward from what they called the most horrific chapter of their lives.
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