In this industry it's important that people understand how serious the threat of Legionnaires'disease can be. Which is why, from now on, when we hear of Legionella outbreaks we will report them on here.
"HSE has been forced to issue a warning to food preparation firms to ensure that they carry out regular checks to protect employees from Legionnaires' disease, after an outbreak at a Lancashire food processing plant.
Butchery firm _______ saw two of its employees catch the disease at its premises in Bamber Bridge in Preston. It pleaded giulty to a breach of Section 2(1) of the HSWA 1974 at Preston Crown Court for failing to protect its employees, and was fined £25,000 with £20,000 costs.
The first of the two cases was diagnosed in September 2006, and the second a week later in October. Following notification of the two cases, an outbreak comitee was formed, comprimising of the HSE, South Ribble Borough Council, Central Lancashire Primary Care Trust, the Heath Protection Unit and Lancashire Teaching Hospitals.
Significant levels of legionella were found in water samples taken from three locations: a pressure washer hose point, an apron wash shower point, and a pressure washer header tank. The tank supplied water to three washer hose points in the process area, and this system was used to clean away meat and fat debris.
A risk assessment has been made in 2001, setting out that simple checks should be carried out in the firm's domestic water system, and that control measures should be monitored and reviewed, but this did not happen.
HSE principle inspector Dorothy Shaw said that the two men 'were made seriously ill'.
'_______ failed to carry out simple checks on the hot and cold water system,' she added, 'as as result, many of its employees working at the site were potentially exposed to the legionella bacteria.'
'Any system containing water at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius, and which may release an aerosol during operation or maintenance, presents a forseeable risk of exposure to legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria can build up purpose-built water systems.'
During the investigation, the offending site was closed, and had its domestic water system drained, pumped through, chlorinated and disinfected. _______ has now ceased operating at the site.
In mitigation, _______ told the court that it had not cut corners to save money."
www.bvwater.co.uk
