Regular Legionella Bacteria Test at Hospitals Could Save Lives, Says HSE
Legionnaires’ disease can prove to be fatal for people, and particularly patients admitted in hospitals are highly susceptible to the disease. In spite of knowing this, the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Trust did not conduct any test for checking the level of legionella bacteria in their water system. A May 2002 test had found high levels of bacteria concentration in one of the wings of the hospital, but no further tests were conducted after that.
After two of the hospital’s patients died in 2007 from legionnaires’ disease, HSE was prompted into action. An HSE enquiry found that the hospital had not only acted irresponsibly but had also violated Sections 2(1) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 by ignoring the necessary tests. However, HSE was not able to establish if the deaths were caused by the bacteria in the hospital’s water system or otherwise.
In a prosecution before Liverpool Magistrates Court, the NHS Trust pleaded guilty and this led to the court ordering it to pay costs of suit worth 12,862pounds in addition to a fine of 35,000 pounds.
Inspector Kevin Jones from HSE said the hospital and the Trust should have carried out the tests regularly, considering the history of the bacteria in the hospital and the fact that hospitals are more susceptible to such diseases. He said that HSE hopes that the Trust will learn from this prosecution and take its health and safety responsibilities seriously in future.
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