Join SHP Online

A leading scientist has called for a public inquiry into an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in Edinburgh, which resulted in the deaths of three people and more than 100 individuals treated as confirmed, or suspected cases.

In June this year, as part of its investigation into the outbreak, the HSE served Improvement Notices on two companies in relation to cooling towers. All three notices have been complied with, and the HSE has stressed that the notices do not mean that the cooling towers have been identified as the source of the outbreak.

A third organisation was served with an Improvement Notice by Edinburgh City Council. This notice, too, is not an indication that the source has been identified.

Concerns over the safety inspection regime for facilities such as cooling towers have led the Scottish Labour Party to call for a public inquiry into the outbreak of the disease. The party’s demands were yesterday (7 August) backed by Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiologist at the University of Aberdeen.

“Legionnaires’ disease is one of the nastiest and most lethal of infectious diseases in the UK, but it is utterly preventable,” said the professor. “So something went badly wrong in Edinburgh. A public inquiry would be the most effective way to establish the facts and to prevent yet more outbreaks.”


Jackie Baillie MSP, Scottish Labour’s shadow cabinet secretary for health, added: “Professor Pennington’s intervention is significant and his authoritative voice should be a reason for the Scottish Government to pause and reflect on their decision not to have an independent inquiry into this outbreak.



“There are real fears that the inspection regimes that the Health and Safety Executive and local authorities have are inadequate and are failing to protect citizens from these fatal outbreaks. Scots deserve to know that lessons will be learned and every step taken to prevent another outbreak and those who have suffered and lost relatives deserve nothing less.”

Investigations into the source of the outbreak continue with further testing and analysis of the environmental samples taken from potential sources being carried out. Research is also underway to better understand the full extent of the outbreak.

In England, meanwhile, an outbreak of the disease in Stoke-on-Trent has already claimed the lives of two people. As of 8 August, there have been 20 cases notified to the Health Protection Agency, whose experts have identified a hot tub at the JTF Warehouse in Fenton as a “probable source”.

Solicitors Irwin Mitchell, which is representing three people among the 20 affected, said its clients had all visited the store days before they fell ill.

Amandeep Dhillon, from Irwin Mitchell, said: “Now that a probable source has been identified the focus must turn to finding out what went wrong, so that lessons can be learned to prevent similar outbreaks in future. Our clients want answers as to what happened and why they have become ill.”

The firm is also representing more than 30 people who fell victim to the outbreak in Edinburgh.

Last month, the HSE issued a safety notice after identifying common failings in legionella control from a review of outbreaks of Legionnaires' disease in Britain over the past ten years.

The HSE’s findings confirmed that cooling towers and evaporative condensers are the most common source of significant outbreaks. Ninety per cent of outbreaks stem from failure to recognise potential legionella problems, or to adopt effective control measures.

The notice underlines the need for effective and consistent monitoring of water quality and the importance of responsibilities being assigned to named individuals with proper management oversight.

Paul McDermott, a legionella expert at the Executive, said: “Through this safety notice we are reiterating what those responsible for the maintenance of water systems should be doing already. They have a responsibility to manage the risks they create to protect workers and the wider public. This is a reminder to them of what the law expects.”