A hotel guest has died after contracting Legionnaires' disease and another fell ill following a stay at the same place, it has been revealed.
The Feathers Hotel, in Ludlow, Shropshire, has voluntarily closed to the public on advice of health bosses.
Public Health England said that tests have shown links between Legionella bacteria found in water samples from the hotel and the two guests involved.
Hotel death caused by Legionella bacteria
The deceased was a woman in her 60s and she is understood to have died in mid-August 2017. The other guest was a woman in her 70s who recovered after being diagnosed in April 2017.
A consultant with PHE West Midlands Health Protection Team, said as soon as the Legionella bacteria was identified, the hotel's affected rooms were closed. An improvement notice was issued and the hotel carried out the improvement work.
The hotel is writing to guests who stayed at the hotel in the past two weeks to advise them to make contact if they have experienced any symptoms of the disease after potentially fatal legionella bacteria was in water samples taken from the site
Your Legal Requirements
It is a legal duty to carry out a risk assessment to identify and assess whether there is a risk posed by exposure to Legionella from the hot and cold water system or any work associated with it.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 place strict obligations on ALL building owners and employers to undertake a Water and Legionella Risk Assessment on all buildings where there is a foreseeable risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria, this includes hotels, pubs and clubs, restaurants, leisure clubs, retail premises and offices. This also applies to those who provide residential accommodation or who are responsible for the water system(s) in their premises.
Go to: Legionella Risk Assessment FAQs
Solution
Bradley Environmental offer professional Legionella Risk Assessments and Testing to help compliance with current UK Health and Safety regulations. The Legionella risk assessment will be undertaken by a fully qualified and competent consultant and in accordance with The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems (L8 ACOP), which will assess the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria from work activities and water systems present on site.
For more information on the services we provide, please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or use the Contact Us box below.
Source: BBC Website
