Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
What happened? At the time of publication this latest outbreak has caused the death of one man. In addition, NHS Lothian confirmed a further 24 cases with another 27 being investigated. The first were reported at the beginning of June with numbers rapidly increasing in the following week.
Where did it come from? The focus of the investigation has been on a number of premises with cooling towers in the south-western suburbs of Edinburgh. This type of plant is a notorious source of infection so it was an obvious place to look. Environmental Health Officers and the HSE were immediately involved in carrying out sampling. It was also reported that the suspected systems were subject to a “shock” treatment to eradicate legionella bacteria which might be growing there.
Tip 1. If, like the businesses affected by this outbreak, you have complex water systems, then it’s a good idea to have a contract in place with a specialist water hygiene company to assess and manage the risk, rather than attempting to do it in-house.
Tip 2. As we explained previously, even if your water systems are far smaller and simpler, there are numerous controls which should be applied for legionella prevention (yr.10, iss.16, pg.7, see The next step). These centre around regular cleaning, avoiding stagnation and preventing water from being held at warm temperatures.
Tip 3. Staff may have a limited understanding of Legionnaires’ disease, not helped by scare stories circulating as a result of this latest case. Be ready to reassure them that you have dealt with the risks in your workplace.
For a previous article, visit http://healthandsafety.indicator.co.uk (HS 10.20.01).
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