A plastics manufacturing company in West Bromwich has been fined after it put workers and the public at risk of being infected with potentially deadly bacteria.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigated Riaar Plastics Limited after members of the public became infected with Legionnaires’ disease in September 2020. Five people were infected with the potentially deadly lung infection. One person was taken to intensive care and put on a ventilator after being infected.
Riaar Plastics Limited was fined for failing to manage the risk of Legionella. HSE found the water-cooling towers inherited by Riaar Plastics Limited at its site on Black Lake, West Bromwich, were in an extremely poor condition. This allowed Legionella bacteria to grow in the water-cooling towers and pipes, exposing employees and members of the public to risks of significant ill health.
People can get Legionnaires’ disease when they breathe in small droplets of water in air that contains the Legionella bacteria.
Schools are reminded to check the condition of their tanks and pipes regularly. A Legionella Risk Assessment (LRA) needs to be carried out by a competent provider and this will identify the hazards for your school and explain what needs to be done to reduce the risk of a legionella outbreak. Control measures commonly include weekly flushing of little used outlets, half-termly temperature checks of sentinel taps and annual temperature checks of the incoming cold-water inlet and all non-sentinel taps. Premises Managers are required to review their legionella risk assessments, at least annually, via the Civica website or sooner should a significant change occur to the building or activities carried out.
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