Cardiff – Fines
A hotel near Cardiff has been fined after two people contracted
Legionnaires disease and died. The cause of the cases was found
to be an incorrectly installed humidifier in a buffet unit. The
hotel owners were fined £40,000 plus £15,000 in legal
fees. The supplier of the humidifier was also fined £10,000
for failing to make himself aware of the procedures for the control
of Legionella.
Stafford School – November
A Stafford school has stayed open following positive Legionella
tests were found during routine checks. The affected water services
have been closed off while the water tanks were cleaned and disinfected.
Date for Re-trial
Gillian Beckingham has a date for her retrial following the juries’
inability to reach a verdict in April. 7 people died in July and
August 2002 and 140 were infected following insufficient health
and safety procedures for the control of Legionella bacteria.
Brighton, England – October 2005
A school in Brighton was closed after the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’
disease was found during routine checks. The water system has now
been cleaned, drained and is fully operational. There was only ever
a minimal risk to pupils and staff.
Baxter’s Factory – October 2005
The food factory hit by 2 cases of Legionnaires’ disease has
now reopened and been given the all clear. The two people affected
are still in hospital.
Ludlow – September 2005
A man contracted Legionnaires’ disease whilst on holiday in
Spain. He began to feel unwell, and was rushed to hospital a few
days later. He is reported to be responding to treatment well.
South London – September 2005
The reported number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the
South London area has now risen to 13. The source of the outbreak
is still unknown; however health officials have reassured people
that it has not been identified in any of the local hospitals.
Moray , Scotland – September 2005
2 workers from the Baxters food factory have been taken ill with
Legionnaires disease. The factory has been closed, but managers
have stressed that there is no risk to the food they have produced.
South London – September 2005
The latest cases of Legionnaires disease have brought the total
infected up to 12. Nine are still in hospital, and 3 have been discharged.
The cases have been building over the past 8 weeks. However, no
common source has been found.
Barrow-in-Furness
Gillian Beckingham has lost her chance to appeal against the Health
and Safety conviction against her. She was charged under Section
7 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Seven people died as
a result of a failure to draw up essential contracts to maintain
the air conditioning units.
Leeds – August 2005
A man in the Leeds area has contracted Legionnaires disease. However,
even after investigation, it is not clear where it came from. All
cooling towers in the area were checked and all were found be have
satisfactory records, according to the HSE.
Coventry – September 2005
A new radiotherapy unit at Coventry Hospital had to delay it's opening
as a result of Legionella bacteria being found during routine monitoring.
Immediate action was taken, and no-one was affected.
Welwyn Garden City
A builder has died as a result of contracting Legionnaires disease
whilst removing redundant pipework and water tanks. However, tests
have shown that no bacteria were found on the site. Investigations
are still ongoing.
Scarborough
A woman died after contracting Legionnaires disease in Scarborough
Hospital . She was admitted for jaundice caused by severe live damage.
She possibly caught the disease from an old part of the hospital
where the pipes run in the wall space. After the infection was identified,
all showerheads were inspected, and filters were fitted. The Coroner
wanted money to be found to replace the old building and pipes.
Norway , 62 CASES, 10 DEATHS- June 2005
The source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease has been linked
to a purifying installation (known as a scrubber), which cleans
air using water and is a common industrial cleaning unit. The emissions
from a nearby cellulose plant were said to be the cause of the outbreak,
due to the large amounts of water vapour spread through the air.
Since this outbreak, there have been 2 more confirmed cases in the
same area in August, but it is not thought they are linked.
Liverpool , 2 DEATHS- May 2005
Several people involved with the installation of a humidifier in
a hotel, including the director of the company who installed the
equipment, and the owner of the hotel stand for the manslaughter
of two guests from a hotel in Cardiff . They are also on trial for
a health and safety breach. It is believed the source of the bacteria
was from the mains coming into the humidifier, which was not treated,
coupled with the fact that there was no daily cleaning regime for
the unit.
Primary School, Liverpool- April 2005
A leak report has stated that a primary school was at high risk
from having the legionella on site due to its cold water storage
tanks; parents have since refused to let their children back onto
site until action is taken. There are no reports that anyone has
actually contracted the disease but a report 4 months previous highlighted
the tank as a very high risk and nothing was done. The school are
now being forced to resolve the situation in a variety of ways.
Dublin , 1 DEATH- April 2005
A man in his 50's died from multiple organ failure after contracting
Legionnaires' disease from a hot tub in a house he was viewing with
the potential to buy. Samples taken from the hot tub were found
to have positive levels of the bacteria. The man developed symptoms
of the disease 5 days after inhaling the water droplets from the
hot tub.
London , 1 CASE- March 2005
A patient caught Legionnaires' disease from an infected tap in St
George's Hospital in London . There is now comprehensive monitoring
in place to ensure the control measures are being dealt with correctly
and effectively.
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