Safety, Health And Environment - Essay Example

Safety, Health and Environment Question One The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) incorporates duties that encompass the risks from legionella bacteria that could result from work activities. In addition, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) furnish a broad framework for exercising control over health and safety at work. Moreover, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002 provide a more specific framework of actions that are aimed at evaluation, controlling or preventing risk from Legionella and other such bacteria. The employer or the person vested with control over the premises is responsible for health and safety at that place [Hea144]. Furthermore, such persons have to take the necessary precautions to mitigate the risks of exposure to legionella. The COSHH provides under Regulation 6 that first, Employers are precluded from carrying out work that could expose an employee to substances that are dangerous to health. The exception is when the employer had arrived at an adequate and appropriate assessment of the risk produced by that work to the health of his employees. In addition, the employer should have evaluated the measures to be adopted to address these regulatory requirements, and adopted them[Hea132]. In addition, COSHH aims to ensure the proper performance of control measures. Exposure of the employees to hazardous substances should be continuously monitored by these control measures. For instance, important deteriorations in control measures have to be identified and the necessary rectifications should be carried out. Such checks have to be conducted periodically, and the duration between two consecutive checks should not exceed one year. In addition, maintenance has to be performed, which denotes the work performed in order to sustain the efficiency of the control measures[Hea132]. For instance, in Dugmore v Swansea NHS Trust and another, a claim was made against a hospital under the provisions of the COSHH Regulations. The claimant was a nurse who suffered from congenital asthma and eczema. In addition, she developed an allergy to latex, during the course of her duties as a nurse. She was not provided with vinyl gloves, to which she was not allergic. The court ruled that the COSHH Regulations required exposure to hazardous substances to be prevented or controlled adequately. By providing her with vinyl gloves, the issue could have been resolved. Consequently, her claim against the hospital was upheld[cle13]. The Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992, stipulate that every person who has control over the premises has to ensure the following. There should be no notifiable device present on the premises. The exception permitted is when the concerned local authority has been informed, in writing, regarding the presence of the notifiable device. The objective behind this stipulation is to identify the areas that could promote the spread of infectious disease[Bas14]. Some of the notifiable devices are cooling towers or evaporative condensers. Question Two On an annual average, there are 200 to 250 reported instances of Legionnaires’ disease in the UK. However, several instances of the disease remain unreported. Travel abroad accounts for 50% of the instances of this disease. Domestic instances of this disease are infrequent, and their source remains unidentified[Hea133]. Legionella bacteria occur in lakes, reservoirs, rivers and other environmental water sources. These resist a wide range of environmental conditions, and survive in water from 60C to 600C. They proliferate in temperatures between 200C to 450C. At lower temperatures, the bacteria become dormant. Their virulence is greatest at 370C. An adequate and appropriate evaluation mechanism is indispensable for identifying and assessing the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria[Hea133]. Such risk arises from work activities and water systems located on the premises. The spread of the legionella bacteria can be averted by not allowing water temperatures to be in the 200 C to 450 C range; preventing water stagnation; not using materials in the system that host or nurture bacteria; keeping the system clean; operating the system correctly and safely, and maintaining it optimally. Moreover, risk of exposure is reduced by adopting measures that prevent the proliferation of legionella bacteria in the system. These measures limit exposure to aerosols and water droplets. Some of the recommended precautions are; first, exercising control over water spray release. Second, preventing water temperatures and conditions that promote legionella bacteria. Third, preventing water stagnation. Fourth, eschewing the utilisation of materials that host bacteria. Fifth, ensuring the cleanliness of the system and its water. Sixth, employing procedures for treating water. Seventh, undertaking action that promotes the safe and correct operation, and maintenance of the water system[Hea133]. The following have to be considered, whilst carrying out the evaluation. First, the source of the water supply system. Second, the possible sources of contamination of the water supply, which are on the premises prior to being transported to the cooling tower, cold water storage cistern, calorifier, or any other system. Third, the usual operating traits of the plant. Fourth, reasonably foreseeable, although unusual, operating conditions. In instances, where risk has been detected, the assessment should provide adequate information to establish the performance of an evaluation. The record furnished by such assessment has to be correlated to other pertinent health and safety records[Hea133]. The analysis of data from 16 January 2011 to 26 May 2011, obtained from the water plant chemical treatment log has been given below. For the return waters, specified temperature was 150C to 180C. However, the actual recorded temperatures for the period 7 April 2011 to 26 May 2011 was in excess of these limits. The stipulated biocide to be added was four parts per million (ppm) per fortnight. The actual amounts of biocide added was less than this, and thus could prove to be insufficient for controlling microbial growth in the cooling water. Moreover, 10 ppm per week of water softeners were to be added, the actual amount added was less than this. Out of 15 comments, only that of 16 January 2011, was favourable. Seven comments described the overall situation as merely satisfactory. The lab samples were to be obtained once in a month. However, this was done only twice between 13 January 2011 and 26 May 2011. Such negligence could lead to failure to detect the proliferation of the legionella bacteria. On 20 January 2011, it was observed that the drift eliminator was damaged, on 17 March 2011, it was observed that the drift eliminator had not been repaired. On 5 May 2011 biocide was ordered, which did not arrive and on 16 May 2011 algae was found in the reservoir. On 26 May 2011, the pump was observed to have been ripped. All these developments would obviously result in the growth of the legonnela bacteria. Question Three To: The HSE Inspector Subject: Your letter pertaining to Inspections of Premises Acme Hydrocarbons Ltd. We will immediately notify the local authority, in accordance with the provisions of the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992, for eliminating any misgiving regarding the spread of infectious diseases. Legionella bacteria thrive in environmental sources. Consequently, they could proliferate in hot and cold water systems, cooling tower systems, and in plants that store or utilise water. In order to mitigate the risk of exposure to legionella bacteria, measures that prevent the proliferation of these organisms in the water system will be adopted. We will engage a responsible person to monitor daily danger of proliferation of the legionella bacteria. This person will possess the necessary authority, competence, and knowledge of the installation. As such, this person will ensure that the operational procedures are performed with efficiency and in a timely manner. Our cooling system will be modified to exercise adequate control over the release of drift since this is necessary for ensuring cleaning, disinfection, and safe operation of the system. Specifically, drift eliminators would be checked all the towers of the system. The purpose of these devices is to mitigate aerosol drift. If sufficient amounts of treated water do not reach the eliminator parts, chemicals added for the treatment of water will be ineffective. In order to avoid the accumulation of salts, waste products on the screens of air washers, and condensers of the cooling towers, these areas will be thoroughly cleaned by our personnel for avoiding any threats of the spread of the legionella bacteria. As such, we will exercise abundant caution, with respect to the water temperature, so as to prevent the proliferation of the legionella bacteria. Moreover, we will adopt measures to add the optimal quantities of biocides and water softeners, since some problems had been identified in this area. We sincerely hope that this reply will ensure that no further enforcement action will be taken against us. Thanking you, Yours sincerely, (Ivor Plant) Site Manager, Acme Hydrocarbons Ltd. References Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, 2014. Notification of cooling towers and evaporative condensers. [online] Available at: [Accessed 4 January 2015]. clearanswers, 2013. Present Day Personal Injury Campaigns. [online] Available at: [Accessed 4 January 2015]. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health , 2002. London, UK: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Dugmore v Swansea NHS Trust and another (2002) EWCA Civ 1689. Health and Safety at Work etc Act (c. 37) , 1974 . London, UK: Her Majesty's Printers Office. Health and Safety Executive, 2013. Control of substances hazardous to health. [online] Available at: [Accessed 4 January 2015]. Health and Safety Executive, 2013. The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems in Guernsey. [online] Available at: [Accessed 4 January 2015]. Health and Safety Executive, 2014. What you must do. [online] Available at: [Accessed 4 January 2015]. Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1999. London, UK: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations , 1992. London, UK: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. Read More