An expert witness case I was involved in recently highlighted that the UK’s Health & Safety Executive look at staff training on site as a means of controlling Legionella bacteria.
This paticular case involved staff who were well trained however the Written Scheme did not have “what ifs” for all eventualities. HSG 274 appendices suggest a Written Scheme should include, amongst other things, “Remedial action to be taken in the event that the scheme is shown not to be effective, including control scheme reviews and any modifications made.”
The staff correctly made modifications to the on-site water treatment dosing to counter a fluctuation in the level of biocide despite the exact circumstances not being written down in advance. My argument was that the staff were very well trained and used that training to overcome an issue that was not listed in the Written Scheme.
The HSE eventually accepted my argument but this shows the importance of having staff that are well trained so that they can react to any issues on site, as well as trying to have all eventualities listed in your Written Scheme.
If you would like more information on how Collaton Consultancy can help train your staff, write your Written Scheme or how we can help you as an expert witness then contact us on general@collatonconsultancy.com, or phone on +44(0)7958 124563.
Legionella Risk Management 