HSE Warns Against the Spread of Legionnaires Disease
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has cautioned owners of businesses to ensure that the water they are providing to their workers is safe and does not contain legionella bacteria. This followed the Crown Censure Hearing against the Nottingham detention centre.
In early 2006, an inmate of the detention centre was found to be suffering from Legionnaires Disease. It was later found that the infection arose due to the presence of the bacteria in both hot and cold water in the Health Unit, which made the inmates highly susceptible to it. This presence of the bacteria can be attributed to the failure of the detention centre to follow the Approved Code of Practice, which amounts to an infringement of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
Nick Ratty, the Director of the HSE in the Midlands, said that the older system that the prison had in place was ineffective and could not protect the inmates from diseases
The prison accepted the censure but also explained the efforts they have made since then to ensure that no other inmate suffers from the disease in future.
Mr. Ratty also emphasised the need for employers to protect their employees from the disease by ensuring that the water supplied at their premises is safe, or else they will be found guilty of violating the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974. To avoid the repercussions of a visit from HSE officials companies should bring themselves and their employees fully up-to-date with the latest H&S regulations. The NEBOSH Distance Learning course is a highly reputable course run by Workplace Law Training and is a good first step to improving your companies’ knowledge and understanding of health and safety principles and practices.
