Newcastle City Council fined for failings in tree fatality

A council has been fined £280,000 following an investigation into an accident which resulted in the death of a six-year-old child in a school playground.
 
The cause of the accident was a decayed willow tree which fell in September 2020 in the grounds of a school playground.
 
IOSH magazine reports Newcastle City Council was contracted to undertake tree management services on behalf of the school, but had failed to identify the extent of the trees decay and to manage the risk it posed.
 
The City Council was contracted to undertake bi-annual tree inspections and survey reports, and between February 2018 and June 2020 members of the council’s arboriculture team undertook six inspections of trees at the school.  An inspection undertaken by a council operative recommended further investigation due to the presence of decay on the tension side of the tree, but no action was taken.  
 
Pleading guilty to a charge brought by the Health and Safety Executive, Newcastle City Council admitted it had failed to inspect the tree properly and had failed to inform the school of the results of a report into the condition of the trees.

Further readings

HSE Press Release
IOSH magazine news article