HM Prison Service Attends Crown Censure Hearing before the HSE
HM Prison Service was asked to attend an official Crown Censure Hearing at the Nottingham Office of the Health and Safety Executive last week for the breach of Section 3 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974.
The hearing took place due to an episode where an inmate of the prison fell ill in March 2006 after contracting Legionnaires Disease in the jail premises. He was infected due to the presence of legionella bacteria found in hot and cold water in the prison’s Health Unit. The Prison Service had failed to follow the Approved Code of Practice to ensure that the water was safe.
The Prison Service accepted the Crown Censure, where it informed the Health and Safety Executive of the steps taken to prevent any occurrence of the disease again in Nottingham or in any other prison.
The Director of Midlands for the Health and Safety Executive said that the Prison Service had failed to ensure the protection of the heath of the jail inmates. He also said that in addition to prison services, even employers have to ensure that their hot and cold water systems are properly maintained in their establishments, so that people who are using it are not put at risk.
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