Infectious Diseases

Health and Safety - Disease Reporting & Investigation

We investigate notifications of infectious diseases (particularly food poisoning) from GPs, the public, businesses and other local authorities. We are also involved with the reporting of other diseases (mainly occupational) under RIDDOR.

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Once a food poisoning notification is received, we will contact the person with the symptoms and ask them questions regarding:

• What and where they've eaten prior to their illness;
• Details of their symptoms;
• Whether they've been on holiday abroad;
• Whether or not their GP has taken a faecal sample and;
• Whether anybody else they ate with also experienced any symptoms. We may request that person to provide a faecal sample.

If a person with symptoms is a food handler or health care/nursery worker who has direct contact or contact through serving food, with highly susceptible patients or persons in whom an intestinal infection would have serious consequences, they cannot return to work until they are symptom-free for 48 hours. They must also inform their employer of their symptoms.

Parents or guardians of children aged under 5 years or children or adults unable to implement good standards of personal hygiene, are advised to keep them away from school or other establishments until they have also been symptom-free for 48 hours.

Food Poisoning Outbreaks

If a number of people ate at the same venue and have the same food poisoning-type symptoms, this may be due to a Food Poisoning Outbreak. Our investigation into the outbreak will involve:

• interviewing people who are ill
• interviewing others who ate at the venue but didn't have symptoms,
• taking faecal and food samples (if appropriate) and
• inspecting the implicated venue.

If there is enough evidence implicating a food premises within the area as a possible source of the outbreak, we may decide to carry out a food hygiene inspection.

If you believe that you are suffering from food poisoning (i.e. sickness and diarrhoea) please contact us at 01785 619402.

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Relevant Legislation:

• Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
• Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1988

RIDDOR is the reporting of Injuries, Disease and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations.

If you are an employer, self-employed or in control of work premises you will have duties under RIDDOR. RIDDOR requires you to report some work-related accidents, diseases and dangerous occurrences. It applies to all activities.

If you are an employer, self-employed or in control of work premises you will have duties under RIDDOR. The regulations require that occurrences of 'Work related disease' must be reported to the relevant authority.

If you are an employer and a doctor notifies you that your employee suffers from a reportable work-related disease you must send a completed disease report form (F2508A) to the enforcing authority.

If you are self employed and a doctor notifies you that you are suffering from a reportable work-related disease you must send a completed disease report form (F2508A) to the enforcing authority.

Diseases reportable under RIDDOR include;

• Certain poisonings
• some skin diseases such as occupational dermatitis, skin cancer, chrome ulcer, oil folliculitis/acne
• lung diseases including occupational asthma, farmers lung, pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, mesothelioma
• infections such as leptospirosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax, legionellosis and tetanus
• other conditions such as: occupational cancer, certain musculoskeletal disorders, decompression illness and harm-arm vibration syndrome

Who do I Report to Under RIDDOR?

If your business includes;

• office based work
• retail or wholesale
• warehousing
• sports & leisure
• residential accommodation, excluding nursing homes
• places of worship
• pre-school child care
• mobile vending

Then report to Environmental and Health Services, Stafford Borough Council, Civic Centre, Stafford, ST16 3AQ or telephone 01785 619402 if you require the F5208A form.

Alternatively you can report the incident to the HSE and RIDDOR.