Partners given suspended sentence for failing to control Legionella

Partners Kulwant Singh Chatha and Satpaul Kaur Chatha were each sentenced to serve 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to pay costs of £12,115 each for failing to control Legionella.

The circumstances were:

• There was a cooling tower at their company Isher Hangers in Spring Hill, Birmingham.
• The partners ignored concerns raised by their own water treatment consultants.
• There were no Legionella risk assessments in place.
• The partners failed to put in place suitable measures to control the risk of Legionella bacteria from the cooling tower. 
• For example, there was no biocide dosing of the water.
• These failures exposed employees and members of the public to Legionella which can cause Legionnaires’ disease, which can be fatal.
• People who have underlying or current medical issues are especially susceptible to infection.
• This was a particular concern as Isher Hangers’ premises are in the vicinity of two major hospitals.

The HSE inspector said,
"Isher Hangers were operating a cooling tower without biocide, ignoring the advice of their own consultants. Cooling towers have the potential to spread bacteria that can cause serious illness or death, if not maintained in accordance with the published guidelines."