Wakefield firm fined for Legionnaire's outbreak

A butchery processing company has been fined after two of their
employees contracted Legionnaire's disease.

Boguslaw Plociennik and Zbigniew Rauk contracted the disease at the
company's Bamber Bridge premises near Preston in September and October
2006 respectively.

Kepak UK pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulation at
Preston Crown Court and were subsequently fined £25,000 and ordered to
pay £20,000 costs.

A Health and Safety Executive led committee obtained water samples
from the building and found significant levels of legionella were
present in three locations.

Dorothy Shaw, HSE principal inspector said: "Kepak failed to carry out
simple checks on the hot and cold water system. As a result, many of
its employees working at the site were potentially exposed to the
legionella bacteria, and two individuals were made seriously ill.

"Any system containing water at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees
Celsius, and which may release an aerosol during operation or
maintenance, is at risk of exposure to legionella bacteria.

"Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal illness and, had the
correct procedures been in place, the outbreak at Kepak's premises
would not have occurred.

"Legionella bacteria can build up in purpose-built water systems and,
if conditions are favourable, the bacteria can multiply, increasing
the risk."