Source: Health and Safety Executive
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) website has published a story recently about a care provider that has been fined £3 million due to health and safety regulation breaches resulting in the death of a resident after he contracted Legionnaire’s disease at the nursing home.
We’ve included an anonymous version of the story below to highlight the importance of health and safety regulations and to highlight the dangers of Legionnaire’s disease. For more information on managing legionella in hot and cold water systems please visit the Health and Safety Executive website here.
You can read the anonymous version of the HSE article below:
A care provider has been fined following the death of a resident at a nursing home after he contracted Legionnaires’ disease. The 86 year old man died three months after moving into the nursing home.
Ipswich Crown Court heard that the individual had moved into the care home in March 2015 when he was no longer able to cope at home. In June 2015 he contracted Legionnaires’ disease, a serious waterborne form of pneumonia, and later died in Basildon Hospital in June 2015.
An investigation into the death was carried out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The investigation found that for more than a year, during which time major refurbishment works were carried out at the nursing home, the provider failed to implement the necessary control and monitoring measures required to safely manage their hot and cold water system. It also found those responsible for overseeing legionella controls and for taking crucial water temperature measurements had not been trained to the required standard.
The care provider pleaded to breaching Section 3 (1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, and earlier this month (June 2018) the company was fined £3m and ordered to pay costs of £151,482.
A family member of the the individual told the court: “Our father’s tragic and untimely death was a terrible shock to me and my two sisters.”
“The evidence (of)…non-conformities and lack of managerial training was shocking and depressing and brought on feelings of utter despair for our family.”
Speaking after the hearing, HSE principal inspector Vicky Fletcher said: “His family have been left devastated by his sudden death.
“The risk is more acute in care home settings because residents are more susceptible due to their underlying health conditions. We would expect those who have a duty of care to understand this and have the necessary controls in place to manage the risk.”