Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been fined £50,000 for failing to control legionella, according to an article on the Health and Safety Executive website.

The Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, was fined after a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Sussex Police identified a history of failing to manage legionella at their facilities.

Although the Trust was monitoring legionella and water temperatures, between October 2010 and November 2011 a total of 114 positive legionella tests and a further 651 records of water temperatures outside the required parameters were not adequately acted upon.

Chloride Dioxide units were fitted at five sites to control the bacteria, but HSE inspectors found they routinely failed to emit the required dosage to work effectively.

Inspectors also found that water in the Jubilee building at the Royal Sussex often failed to reach the 60 degree Celsius temperature needed to kill off legionella, which was another control system the Trust relied upon.

The court was told that one of the major contributors to the serious control failures was the fact that staff did not have sufficient instruction, training and supervision to be able to make informed decisions and take appropriate action.

Read the article.