British Establishments to be checked on Legionella Control

British Establishments are going to be checked up and down the country by the HSE. Currently, the gaze has been turned to Scotland, but its only a matter of time before the rest of the UK gets involved, especially following the recent outbreaks in England. The full article reads:

Businesses are organisations in the West of Scotland with cooling towers are facing checks to ensure they are managing legionella risks appropriately. 

Currently, Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities are visiting cooling towers and evaporative condensers in Glasgow, North Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire; however checks are expected to be carried out across similar sites in Britain. 

These inspections follow the publication of a safety notice in July warning of the legionella risks posed by cooling towers and evaporative condensers, and are also part of a wider initiative to promote better control of legionella.   

“Our research has confirmed that cooling towers pose the biggest legionella risk. If we, or local authority inspectors, find that the appropriate controls are not in place, we will take enforcement action. 

A review of legionella outbreaks by the HSE in 2011 highlighted cooling towers and evaporative condensers as being responsible for the majority of the most significant outbreaks in Britain in the past ten years. 

Commenting on the visits that the HSE are currently embarking on, David Snowball, Director for Scotland and Northern England, said: 

“We are doing these visits to focus businesses' attention on ensuring they are doing what is required both to protect their workers and the wider public.

"Inspections are a valuable part of our regulatory action. They are however no substitute for companies meeting their legal duties on a daily basis, given that legionella levels can increase to high levels in a matter of days or weeks."

Man dies after Legionella found in Reading Council Care Home

Britain sees another legionella outbreak, and in a high risk building no-less. The article reads:

"A 95-year-old man who was recovering from a stroke in a council care home had died from Legionnaires' Disease. 

The man was staying in The Willows Care Home in Hexham Road, Whitley when he contracted pneumonia which was found to be caused by the Legionella bacterium.
He was taken to Royal Berkshire Hospital where he died on October 30. 

Reading Borough Council which runs the home has acknowledged "the possibility exists that the resident may have contracted Legionella bacteria at the care home, although that has not been established beyond doubt". 

After exhaustive checks to the water system, traces of the bacterium were found in a tap.Residents, their families and staff were informed. 

Spokesman for the council Derek Plews said: "The health and well-being of vulnerable residents is the council’s highest priority which is why, as a precautionary measure, we have engaged an independent expert consultant, carried out extensive testing and cleaning of the water system at The Willows and fitted special bacteria filters to all water outlets in the building. 

"We believe, on the basis of expert independent advice, that our maintenance programme at the home is fully in line with the Health and Safety Executive’s Approved Code of Practice and that the risk to residents from Legionella is as low as possible. 

"We are continuing to monitor the water system to ensure that this remains the case.
"We understand that residents, their families and staff will be concerned about this matter. 

That is why we have taken steps to keep them updated about the situation. Residents have been given the choice of a move to temporary accommodation and one person has taken up this option. 

"The council would like to emphasise that it has worked closely with the Health Protection Agency and the Heath and Safety Executive in responding to this matter. 

"We have adhered to the Health and Safety Executive’s approved code of practice on Legionella before this incident and the measures taken since are over and above the HSE guidance. 

"Reading Borough Council would like to express its sincere condolences to the family of the resident who passed away." 

The Willows, formerly Tanfield, was completely refurbished in September last year including the renewal of much of the water system. 

It has 26 beds including 15 for residents with dementia, 10 for intermediate care and one for respite care."

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Basildon Hospital Prosecution For Careless Legionella Monitoring

(Repost)

A hospital in Essex will be taken to court after they were alleged to have failed to stop people being exposed to legionella bacteria.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is prosecuting Basildon Hospital under the Health and Safety at Work Act, with the single charge from the HSE relating to a case of legionella at the hospital between February 2004 and December 2010.

Official figures show there have been 13 cases of patients catching the legionella bacteria since 2002.

Chief Executive of Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Trust, Clare Panniker, said the hospital had spent £3m and introduced a number of changes in the past decade in an attempt to control legionella. She said:

"The trust has not had any cases of Legionnaire's Disease since 2011 and we will continue to work with the HSE and other experts to do all we can to combat Legionella. As new chief executive, I will be reviewing the leadership structure to ensure we have the right experience at board level."

She said that the report concluded that the current risk of contracting legionella at the hospital was about "one in a million".

The prosecution centres on an alleged breach of Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 which refers to the duty of employers to protect non employees from "risks to their health or safety" and the first hearing in the case is expected to take place at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court at a later date.

Peterborough Primary School Closed after Legionella is Found! Updated 17/09/2012

LATEST UPDATE:

School to Re-open:

A primary school in Peterborough, closed at the beginning of September after legionella was found in the water system, is to reopen on Monday.

Bacteria that can cause the potentially fatal Legionnaires' disease were found at Newark Hill School.

Peterborough City Council expect it to reopen after workers carried out chlorination of the system to kill the bacteria.

Tests have been completed to ensure the water system is now safe.

Headteacher Lorraine Mann said: "I am pleased to report that we have been advised it is now safe to open the school on Monday.

"I would like to thank everyone for their patience and assistance during this time."

The Old Report reads:

“A primary school in Peterborough was today (Monday) closed for a week after the venue tested positive for legionella.
 Council chiefs have confirmed that routine monthly testing of the water systems at Newark Hill Primary School in Eastfield Road has generated a positive result for legionella.
 A council spokeswoman said: “A full chlorination has been carried out in the hot water systems and will continue with the cold water systems tomorrow.
 “Chlorination kills the bacteria and makes the systems safe.
 “However, it has been decided to delay the school opening until Monday 10 September 2012 as a precautionary measure pending the receipt of the re-test results, which are due on Friday 7 September.
 “Routine tests are carried out at all schools on a monthly basis. ”
 “There is nothing further we can add at this stage.”

Updates will follow....

Another Confirmed Case in Stoke-on-Trent ; Legionnaires' Disease

 Another case of Legionnaires' disease has been confirmed in Stoke-on-Trent following an outbreak in the city thought to be linked to a hot tub.

The Health Protection Agency said the latest case brings the total to 21.

The patient, who is being treated at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire, is a man in his 70s.

Two patients being treated for the disease since the spate of illnesses began in the middle of July have died.

An HPA spokeswoman said: "This new case is not unexpected.

"It can take up to two weeks following exposure for people to develop symptoms of Legionnaires' disease and a further few days before they might see their GP."

A spokesman for University Hospital of North Staffordshire said: "Three patients remain in hospital and all are in a stable or improving condition."

It was revealed earlier this month that the probable cause of the outbreak was a hot tub at JTF Warehouse in the city after samples were found to have an unusual strain of legionella bacteria, which matched that of the strain taken from patients with the illness.

Dr Sue Ibbotson, regional director of HPA West Midlands, said the organisation has taken detailed histories from those with Legionnaires' and the majority of confirmed cases visited the warehouse in the two weeks before they fell ill.

The samples from the hot tub at JTF Warehouse in City Road, Fenton, were confirmed by the Health Protection Agency's specialist laboratory in Colindale as being the unusual strain legionella bacteria.

Legionella Outbreak - Stoke on Trent Update! Hot-Tub may be the Source

A hot tub is the “probable” source of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Staffordshire, health officials have said.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said investigations were taking place at JTF Warehouse in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, and the company was co-operating.

A statement from the firm said: “JTF is extremely concerned and the product has been withdrawn from all stores.”

The HPA said there had been 18 cases in the outbreak. One patient has died.

HSE Issues Safety Notice for Legionellosis

THE British Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned businesses that they “must do more” to protect workers and the public from Legionnaires’ disease.

The safety bulletin follows in the wake of a fresh outbreak in the city of Stoke-on-Trent, which yesterday claimed its first victim. A further 15 people have contracted the disease so far. It is the second outbreak to hit the UK within a matter of months, with one Edinburgh man dying after being infected in early June.

Some of the major sources of Legionnaires’ are industrial cooling towers and evaporative condensers. The warm water in the systems can provide a breeding ground for the Legionella bacteria, inhalation of which can cause a high fever and pneumonia with potentially fatal consequences.

HES Legionella expert Paul McDermott says that businesses have “a responsibility to manage the risks they create to protect workers and the wider public.”

“This is a reminder to them of what the law expects,” he adds. “Failure to comply with the law means they may face legal sanctions, including in the most serious cases prosecution through the courts.”

In its bulletin, the HSE says that some of the biggest risks of a Legionnaires’ outbreak can come from changes in maintenance schedules, intermittent use of a plant and unusual weather conditions – the bacteria multiply faster when it is warm.

Read More @: http://www.hse.gov.uk/safetybulletins/coolingtowers.htm

Latest Legionella Outbreak! Stoke-on-Trent!

Recent updates have been issued, following a Legionella outbreak in Stoke-on-Trent, yet again, in a hospital. Is it just me, or should we be keeping those places the most checked? I mean, since they are choc-a-block with high risk peoples... perhaps it's just me.

The story broke last night, and details will be added when updates are issued on the people affected and the condition of the site itself, here are the details on the people affected:

Seven people are being treated for Legionnaires' disease; those affected are six men and a woman, aged between their late 40s and 75, health officials said.

Two men in their 70s are described as "stable" and the other patients are said to be "improving"

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said all seven patients were being treated at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire.

Prof Harsh Duggal, director of the Health Protection Unit in Stafford, said: "While we do not currently have a direct link between the cases, the evidence points to the fact that there is a common source.

"We are taking detailed histories of the movements of the patients to see if there are similar patterns which would indicate a local source of infection.

"Legionnaires' disease is a rare but potentially life-threatening illness. It is caused by a bacteria commonly associated with water systems and cannot be passed from person to person."

The HPA added it was also investigating two cases identified in early summer as being possibly linked to the current cluster.

The agency is working with the Health and Safety Executive, the NHS in Stoke and the city council to try to identify and control any possible sources of the disease.

The seven cases are not hospital acquired, health officials said.

Healthcare staff in the areas where the patients live have been alerted to look out for symptoms.

Officials said early signs include flu-like symptoms, with muscle aches, tiredness, headaches, dry cough and fever which can lead to pneumonia.

Diarrhoea and confusion may occur, as well as chest and breathing symptoms. The disease can be effectively treated with antibiotics.

There were 239 cases of the disease in England and Wales in 2011, including 23 in the West Midlands.