A butchery processing company has been fined after two of their employees contracted Legionnaire's disease.
Boguslaw Plociennik and Zbigniew Rauk contracted the disease at the company's Bamber Bridge premises near Preston in September and October 2006 respectively.
Kepak UK pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulation at Preston Crown Court and were subsequently fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 costs.
A Health and Safety Executive led committee obtained water samples from the building and found significant levels of legionella were present in three locations.
Dorothy Shaw, HSE principal inspector said: "Kepak failed to carry out simple checks on the hot and cold water system. As a result, many of its employees working at the site were potentially exposed to the legionella bacteria, and two individuals were made seriously ill.
"Any system containing water at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius, and which may release an aerosol during operation or maintenance, is at risk of exposure to legionella bacteria.
"Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal illness and, had the correct procedures been in place, the outbreak at Kepak's premises would not have occurred.
"Legionella bacteria can build up in purpose-built water systems and, if conditions are favourable, the bacteria can multiply, increasing the risk."
Boguslaw Plociennik and Zbigniew Rauk contracted the disease at the company's Bamber Bridge premises near Preston in September and October 2006 respectively.
Kepak UK pleaded guilty to breaching health and safety regulation at Preston Crown Court and were subsequently fined £25,000 and ordered to pay £20,000 costs.
A Health and Safety Executive led committee obtained water samples from the building and found significant levels of legionella were present in three locations.
Dorothy Shaw, HSE principal inspector said: "Kepak failed to carry out simple checks on the hot and cold water system. As a result, many of its employees working at the site were potentially exposed to the legionella bacteria, and two individuals were made seriously ill.
"Any system containing water at temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees Celsius, and which may release an aerosol during operation or maintenance, is at risk of exposure to legionella bacteria.
"Legionnaires' disease is a potentially fatal illness and, had the correct procedures been in place, the outbreak at Kepak's premises would not have occurred.
"Legionella bacteria can build up in purpose-built water systems and, if conditions are favourable, the bacteria can multiply, increasing the risk."
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