HSE report into Barrow-in-Furness legionnaire's outbreak

News | HSW
01.05.2007

Inoperative chillers, cooling towers and fans; biocide supplies left to run out; and a lack of system checks, all contributed to the UK's largest outbreak of legionnaire's disease. The findings are published in the HSE's report of the public meetings held after the 2002 outbreak at Barrow-in-Furness which killed seven people. The report also pinpoints Barrow local authority's failure to act on HSE guidance on safe management of cooling plant on its premises and neglect of risk assessment procedures.

The report is available at www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/barrowreport.pdf. See Health and Safety at Work Magazine, June 2007 for a detailed review of the report.