* Contractors in a Midlands school installed a fume cupboard door so that toxic gases were pumped straight into the lab technician’s face when it was opened. The cupboards should open only to hand height to avoid poisoning anyone.
* An electricity cut-out box was placed so it protruded 40cm at a height where teachers could bash their heads.
* While bulldozing buildings as part of a school refurbishment, contractors demolished a small shed that was in their way. Unfortunately it was being used as a temporary chemical store. The school’s chemical stock was destroyed and the clean-up job was huge.
* A carefully-planned refurbishment in a South Coast school went wrong when builders used larger sinks than planned - leaving six pupils without a seat in every lesson.
* Benches in one lab were fitted so close together that the cupboard doors beneath them could not be opened.
Want to keep reading for free?
Register with Tes and you can read five free articles every month, plus you'll have access to our range of award-winning newsletters.
