The Tifler Blog

After an investigation conducted by the HSE, the Health Protection Agency has been fined by the City of London Magistrates court for exposing its workers to a potential E. coli 0157 infection threat.

The incident took place in October 2007 when the staff of the HPA was conducting a disposal procedure of the bacterium at the Centre for Infections in Colindale when some quantity of the bacteria spilled onto the floor of the site.

This particular bacterium is a Hazard Group 3 waste, where it is the third most dangerous bacteria on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the highest on the basis of the level of the risk of infection from it.

The HSE investigation report concluded that the HPA had neglected to comply with the standard operating procedures for the safe and proper disposal of the bacteria and had also failed to equip its employees with the correct knowledge about how to carry out the task.

The investigation also revealed that the equipment that was being used for the disposal had been marked as unsuitable for use 18 months prior to the disposal malfunction that took place in Colindale.

After the investigation, HSE specialist inspector Jennifer Higham said that the bacterium is one of the most deadly and there are some standard procedures for its safe disposal which the HPA had not followed. This way they had endangered the health and safety of their employees as well as their families.

For this the HPA was fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £20,166.10 in costs for violating Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Workplace Law offer IOSH Courses all the advice and information needed for managers to successfully manage appropriate policies and procedures and improve upon management skills to help find the best ways to lead and promote health and safety, and therefore meet its legal obligations. - see IOSH e-learning - for information on their web-based training course accredited by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.