NHS trust fined for safety lapse

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Lincolnshire's hospital trust has been fined £18,500 after a staff member was exposed to a hazardous chemical.

The worker at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital was exposed to gluteraldehyde, a chemical which can cause skin problems, while cleaning X-ray equipment.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust pleaded guilty to health and safety offences at Boston Magistrates' Court and was ordered to pay costs of £3,500.

The problem emerged during a Health and Safety Executive inspection in 2006.

Chemical 'removed'

HSE inspector Jo Anderson said employees should always be made fully aware of precautions to prevent this type of exposure.

A spokesperson for United Lincolnshire Hospitals said: "We take the health and safety of all staff very seriously and we regret the occurrences in 2006 that led to this prosecution.

"Since 2006, the trust has undergone many changes, including the introduction of higher level leadership for health and safety.

"With regards to today's (Monday) case, we completely removed the chemical involved from all our premises in April 2007."

Exposure to very small amounts of gluteraldehyde can lead to allergic skin reactions, hay fever symptoms and asthma, the HSE said.