Care home fined over personal injuries risk
A care home in Manchester has been fined £5,000 after putting elderly residents at risk of personal injury.
The firm was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after it did not comply with an enforcement notice issued at one of its nursing homes.
HSE issued the notice after a routine visit in February last year because they found that the care home did not have the required precautions in place.
The enforcement notice gave the company six weeks to formulate a plan for managing the risk level in the care home's water system.
But when the inspector revisited two months later there was no sign of improvement and the residents were open to injuries.
After the hearing at Trafford Magistrates' Court, HSE Inspector Sandra Tomlinson remarked: "It is vital that care homes have plans in place to make sure the level of risk in their hot water systems does not become unsafe."
Residents are at the risk of a range of issues such as Legionnaires', a fatal form of pneumonia, which mainly affects older people and those with poor health.
"Sadly, (the firm) didn't take this risk seriously and failed to act even when we issued a formal written warning. We therefore had no other choice but to prosecute," she said.
It is unknown if any compensation claims or accident claims will be filed.