Company fined £900k after legionella risk to residents
A company has been fined following an outbreak of legionella at its sheltered housing accommodation in Birkenhead, putting vulnerable residents at risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.
The deadly bacteria was detected at Vincent Naughton Court following the sampling of its water systems in the communal areas and flats in July and August 2018.
With all 44 samples testing positive for legionella, the residents were then evacuated from the Sanctuary Housing premises in August 2018, before returning in October and November 2018 after the water system was remedied through the installation of a chlorination unit.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Sanctuary Housing poorly managed the risk of legionella in the water system of Vincent Naughton Court, with staff inadequately trained and supervised. The residents were a particularly vulnerable group due to their age and underlying health issues, putting them at a higher risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.
Read more on the SHP website.
IOSH attends Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting
A delegation from IOSH went to Samoa alongside Prime Ministers, Government Ministers, civil servants and senior advisers representing occupational safety and health (OSH) at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM 2024).
President-Elect Kelly Nicoll, IOSH Head of Strategic Engagement Alan Stevens, and Strategic Engagement Manager Marcel Le Roux advocated for our vision of a safe and healthy world of work. They argued that providing decent work for everyone will help achieve CHOGM 2024’s core themes of resilient democracies, environment, economies, and societies. The trio participated in and spoke at three Accredited Organisation-led side events and three Business Forum roundtables.
Learn more on the HSM website.
HSE to draft new guidelines around engineered stone
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is drafting new guidelines for tradesmen working with engineered stone after report shows increased risk to silicosis.
HSE is asking for industry feedback from the Worktop Fabricators Federation – an association promoting good working practices for worktop fabrication and stone masonry industries – who were presented with draft guidelines to review.
Dust created from working with stone can include silica and significant exposure can cause silicosis, a respiratory disease.
It comes after experts called for a ban on artificial worktops when a report linked its manufacturing process to increased risk of silicosis. The report, carried out in the UK, had concluded: “The growing use of artificial stone has seen the emergence of a severe progressive accelerated form of silicosis.”
For more on the draft guidelines, visit the SHP website.
School trust fined after pupil injured
A school trust in Surrey has been fined after part of a pupil’s finger was amputated.
The five-year-old boy, a Year 1 pupil at Danetree Primary School in Epsom, had been leaving the toilet on 15 June 2022 when his right hand slipped and went into the hinge side of a door.
There was no door guard installed and he trapped his right hand in the door.
This led to the tip of his middle finger becoming detached as his right hand was stuck in the door.
A teacher found the tip of his middle finger, and the boy underwent surgery to re-attach his finger at St Georges Hospital in Tooting, London.
Although younger pupils in Key Stage 1 were taught in a newer building where hinge guards had been fitted on the doors, the incident occurred in a separate building where the older children in Key Stage 2 were taught.
The Key Stage 1 pupils would use the Key Stage 2 building at least once a week to use its library and learn about music and science. While in this building, the Key Stage 1 pupils were allowed to use the toilets unsupervised.
Read more about the incident on the HSE website.
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