August 2017
Horsemeat scandal: businessman found guilty fraud
A London business man has been found guilty of conspiring to defraud customers by adding horsemeat to batches of beef and relabelling them as pure beef.
Andronicos Sideras was convicted on Wednesday 25 July 2017 at Inner London Crown Court of mixing horsemeat and beef before selling it through his company Dino’s and Sons, following a three-week trial.
In 2013, the UK Food Standards Agency asked the City of London police to investigate the fraud, following the discovery of horsemeat in beefburgers by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland.
The investigation by the Police then began into the meat trading company Flexi Food, with UK offices in Hull, which was owned by Ulrik Nielsen, 58, of Gentofte, Denmark, and Alex Beech, 44, of Sutton-on-Hull. Both have previously pleaded guilty to their part in the conspiracy.
Flexi Foods passed vast amounts of meat through to Dino’s and Sons. During the searches of Flexi Foods company offices, both in Hull and Denmark, emails and other documents were uncovered confirming the conspiracy to deliberately introduce horsemeat into the food chain in order to increase company profits.
The investigations found that during 2012 Nielsen and Beech were buying horsemeat from Ireland and sourcing beef from Poland. This meat was then all delivered to Dino’s and Sons in Tottenham. It was here that they were mixed together and relabelled with fake labels, before being sent on to other firms as part of the horsemeat scandal.
Read more here.
Scotland’s drinking water- DWQR annual report
The Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland’s latest annual report published on 27 July concludes that Scottish Water’s compliance with the stringent standards for drinking water in 2016 was extremely high at 99.91%.
The Water Industry (Scotland) Act 2002 requires DWQR to publish an annual report describing the Regulator’s activities during the preceding year. The report provides a summary of the quality of Scotland’s public water supply for 2016, as well as covering water quality events and incidents, consumer contacts to Scottish Water and DWQR activities throughout the year.
Scottish Water takes and analyses samples of drinking water from across Scotland 365 days a year. The report on Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 2016 Public Water Supply states that a total of 311,560 regulatory tests were carried out on Scotland’s drinking water last year. Of those taken from samples at consumers’ taps, 99.91% met the required standards. This was similar to 2015, and an improvement on 2002, the year Scottish Water was formed, when only 99.28% of tests complied.
Read more here.
Fipronil in eggs
Following concerns raised in the Netherlands about a substance called Fipronil, which has been used inappropriately in cleaning products on chicken farms, a number of contaminated eggs have been identified as being distributed to the UK from the farms affected. Fipronil is not authorised for use as a veterinary medicine or pesticide around food producing animals.
Although initially thought that the number of eggs involved was very small, it has now been established that more eggs from affected farms than originally reported have been imported into the UK. It is very unlikely these eggs pose any risk to public health, but Fipronil is unauthorised for use in food-producing animals in the UK.
The products affected are processed foods in which egg is one ingredient among many others, mostly used in sandwich fillings or other chilled foods. While in some European countries eggs containing Fipronil residues have been sold as fresh eggs, in the UK this is not the case. Many of the eggs involved were mixed with other eggs, which have not come from affected farms so Fipronil residues will be highly diluted.
Read more here.
STEC in Scotland 2016
Health Protection Scotland (HPS) have published a surveillance report for “STEC in Scotland 2016: enhanced surveillance and reference laboratory date”. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), also known as Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC), are a group of bacteria which can cause gastrointestinal illness in humans.
Reported rates of Escherichia coli O157 (E. coli O157) infection in Scotland rose substantially in the mid-1990s and remain consistently high compared to other countries within the UK and Europe.
Although large foodborne outbreaks have occurred in Scotland, sporadic infection predominates. The potential for E. coli O157 to cause both secondary spread and large outbreaks is exacerbated by its low infectious dose and asymptomatic infection can also occur.
HPS undertake enhanced surveillance of STEC in close collaboration with the Scottish E. coli 0157/VTEC Reference Laboratory (SERL) and NHS board health protection teams. Data are also integrated with other surveillance systems, in particular ObSurv, the system for the surveillance of all general outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease.
The number of E. coli O157 cases reported in Scotland increased slightly in 2016 with 181 faecal positive cases notified to HPS in 2016 compared to 170 reported in 2015. This was in keeping with the expected year-to-year variation.
Read more here.
EFSA call for scientific experts
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has invited scientists with expertise in food and feed safety related issues to apply to join its ten Scientific Panels and its Scientific Committee. The call for experts closes on 8 September 2017.
The EFSA Scientific Panels and the Scientific Committee are composed of 15-25 people and provide high-quality independent scientific advice for political decision-makers in Europe.
EFSA is looking for over 200 experts who will carry out scientific assessments and develop related assessment methodologies. The candidates should have a university degree and at least seven years of professional experience in the following disciplines: genetics, ecology, plant sciences, veterinary science, zoology, toxicology, nutrition, human medicine, biology, chemistry, mathematics/statistics/biostatistics, food/feed technology, pharmacology, exposure assessment, epidemiology and regulatory science.
Applications should be submitted by 8 September 2017 via the Experts’ EFSA webpage, which also provides more detailed information on the call.
Read more here.
EFSA Consultation on Listeria monocytogenes in ready to eat foods
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has launched an open consultation on its draft scientific opinion on Listeria monocytogenes contamination of ready-to-eat (RTE) foods and the risk for human health in the EU. This document summarises and critically evaluates the most recent information on L. monocytogenes in RTE foods, and evaluates the factors related to the contamination in the food chain and the consumption patterns that may contribute to the reported trend of listeriosis incidence in the EU.
Interested parties are invited to submit written comments by 29 September 2017 using the electronic template to submit comments.
Read more here.
London 2017: Norovirus Outbreak
Public Health England says 40 athletes and support staff at the World Athletics Championships in London have been affected by Norovirus, with three cases confirmed by laboratory testing.
Several competitors were forced to withdraw from events in the first half of the tournament after suffering symptoms including vomiting.
The athletes and support staff affected from the Botswanan, German, Canadian, Irish and Puerto Rican teams are thought to be staying at the same hotel.
Public Health England have been working closely with the London 2017 organisers and venues to provide infection control advice to limit the spread of illness.
Read more here.
Obesity inequalities persist in Scotland
NHS Scotland has published new information to show how levels of obesity in Scotland have changed over time. The new analysis: ‘Obesity in Scotland: A Persistent Inequality’ also highlights how obesity levels differ according to socio-economic status.
The Scottish adult population as a whole has become heavier over time. The most recent figures for 2015 show that 28% of men and 29% of women aged 18–64 were obese. The proportion of overweight women in Scotland almost doubled over 20 years - from 31% in 1995 to 60% in 2015, the report found. In the same period, the level of overweight men jumped to 66% from 40%.
However, this increase in weight is not evenly distributed across society. The research, which used the most recent figures from 2015-16, found that people living in Scotland's most-deprived communities were more likely to be obese. For men, those living in the least deprived areas have the lowest obesity levels while levels are higher, but broadly similar, for men in all other areas. In contrast, obesity is progressively more common for women as deprivation increases.
Read more here.
State of the UK Climate 2016
The MET Office have published their third annual “State of the UK Climate” report which shows 2016 was the 13th warmest year with records starting back to 1910.
2016 has been 0.5°C warmer than average and the last decade 0.3°C warmer (1981-2010) over the UK as a whole and for many it was also sunny with sunshine levels 4% above the 30 year average (1981-2010) for the UK overall.
As far as UK precipitation is concerned the report shows that 2016 as a whole had 95% of expected rainfall. Winter 2016 was the second-wettest winter on record for the UK in records dating back to 1910, with winter 2014 wettest. In contrast, the second half of the year was notably dry.
December showed to be a mild month particularly in Scotland where anomalies exceeded 2.5°C making it comparably mild to December 2015. The number of days of air frost for the UK for 2016 was 50 days, which is 5 days below the 1981-2010 average. This was largely due to fewer frosts than normal in January and December, especially across Scotland.
Read more here.
World's first floating wind farm emerges off coast of Scotland
The world's first full-scale floating wind farm has started to take shape off the northeast coast of Scotland.
The revolutionary technology will allow wind power to be harvested in waters too deep for the current conventional bottom-standing turbines. The Peterhead wind farm, known as Hywind, is a trial, which will bring power to 20,000 homes.
Ministers in Scotland hope the project, which is owned by Norwegian oil group Statoil, will be one of several floating wind schemes off the Scottish coast that could open up waters previously considered too deep for offshore wind.
So far, one giant turbine has already been moved into place, while four more wait in readiness in a Norwegian fjord. By the end of the month they will all have been towed to 25 kilometres off Peterhead, Aberdeenshire.
Read more here.
Environmental Health around the World
Australia: Norovirus outbreak hits cruise ship passengers
At least 91 passengers on a cruise ship have been hit by a suspected case of norovirus, Australian authorities say.
The virus was detected on the first day of the Sun Princess cruise to the South Pacific, a statement by its parent company said.
Queensland state health authorities confirmed the cases after the ship berthed in Brisbane. The Sun Princess was affected by two similar cases in February.
In the latest instance, passengers had boarded the ship for a 10-day cruise when they began reporting symptoms, Princess Cruises said. "We have been advised that on-board testing has found norovirus to be the cause of the illness," a spokesperson for Queensland's Metro North Public Health Unit said.
Princess Cruises said it would conduct "deep cleansing" on the ship before it would depart again. "Proactive and successful steps were taken on board Sun Princess to limit any spread of the illness," a spokesman said. "The first case was reported on day one of the cruise suggesting the illness was introduced to the ship during embarkation in Brisbane."
Food Standards Scotland News
Chief Scientific Advisor Blog - How Food Standards Scotland is using science and evidence in diet and nutrition
Chief Scientific Advisor writes about the consequences of having too much salt in the diet and the potential for unhealthy promotions influencing consumer purchases.
Read it here.
Scottish Environment Protection Agency News
New data shows need for work to reduce contamination in the recycling stream
Contamination of waste being sent to Scotland’s material recovery facilities (MRFs) is hindering Scotland’s ability to maximise the quantity and quality of material available from recycling, according to a report published by the SEPA.
This is SEPA’s first report looking at the quality of waste coming into and leaving material recovery facilities and examines data from the 13 MRFs that met the reporting criteria, covering October 2015 to May 2017.
Although the dataset is relatively small and is sensitive to fluctuations from individual operators, it showed that of the 327,760 tonnes of Scotland’s recyclable waste that was received, the contamination rate ranged from 0.91% to 43.04% - a national average figure of 17%.
This figure does not include waste that was so badly contaminated it does not make it to the recycling facility and instead is sent to energy from waste facilities or landfill.
Read more here.
Fife man given Community Payback Order after being caught fly-tipping asbestos waste on CCTV
Fife man, Graeme Arnott Burt was given a Community Payback Order, to undertake 250 hours unpaid work, at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court for fly-tipping asbestos waste on land within Aberhill Industrial Estate, Methil.
Mr Burt pled guilty to depositing corrugated asbestos cement sheeting on land in the industrial estate, without the authority of a waste management licence, on 13 June 2016.
The fly-tipping event was caught on CCTV cameras located around the Industrial Estate. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) was notified of the incident by Police Scotland and took the investigation forward.
Read more here.
Entrepreneurial partnership launched to tackle Scotland’s waste tyres
A major new strategic partnership has been announced by the SEPA and Entrepreneurial Scotland, aimed at eliminating the problem of waste tyres as an environmental issue in Scotland.
With approximately 100 tyres turned into waste every 15 minutes in Scotland, the mounting pressure on the economy to find environmental solutions that harness the value of our resources, has never been greater. The new partnership announced at the “Global Tyre Challenge” event, sets in motion an ambitious challenge for entrepreneurs to find sustainable new business opportunities for waste tyres over the next five years. Alongside this, SEPA has committed to developing a specific Sector Plan that will set targets and actions to directly tackle waste tyres and the criminal behaviours, such as illegal dumping, that the industry can attract.
The initiative in partnership with Entrepreneurial Scotland will work hand in hand with the world leading Saltire Fellowship Programme, an intensive leadership development opportunity for Scotland’s most ambitious and entrepreneurially-minded individuals. This year’s cohort of Saltire Fellows will explore new ventures that can actively turn waste tyres into viable business opportunities.
Read more here.
Charging and Compliance consultations now live for public feedback
Proposals which will help to further develop permit charging and assessing environmental compliance have been published by the SEPA in two consultations for public feedback.
SEPA’s Charging Scheme and Compliance Assessment Scheme consultations will consult on changes to the way they calculate charges imposed on permits to cover the costs of SEPA’s regulatory work and consult on the methods used to assess the level of compliance with permit conditions.
Both consultations aim to build on the strengths of the current systems, by providing a greater focus on potential harm to the environment, health and wellbeing, and follow on from an initial round of consultation feedback in 2015.
For the first time, it is proposed to link compliance directly to the calculation of charges and as a result non-compliant operators will experience an increase in fees which reflects the additional effort required to regulate these permits.
Read more here.
Health Safety Executive News
Date for your diaries- LA Webinar #8- Vehicle Loading and Unloading
LAU will be hosting another webinar on Thursday 21st September at 11am. The webinar will be an update regarding vehicle loading/ unloading and load stability. The speakers will be experts from HSE's Transport sector and Science Division, Imran Siddiqui and Nina Day.
CPD certificates will be available for those participants who are registered users of HELex and will be issued following the event.
Firm sentenced after boy suffered life-changing injuries on farm
HSE is calling on farmers to do more to protect their loved ones after an eight-year-old boy who fell from a vehicle on his parent’s farm in Kirkbean ended up with an amputated leg.
The company which operates the farm has been prosecuted after the incident on 14 October 2015.Dumfries Sherriff Court heard the boy fell from a sit-astride all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on Airdie farm.
After carrying out the day to day tasks on the farm, one of the workers was asked to cut the grass on the farm’s hen range. The boy was sitting on the back of the vehicle while the grass was being cut.
The employee had been cutting the grass for about 20 minutes when he stopped and noticed the boy was no longer sitting behind him. He found him on the grass with injuries to his lower right leg and called for help. The eight-year-old’s parents were nearby and an ambulance was called.
He was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow and on arrival underwent an eight-hour operation. His lower right leg could not be saved and a below-the-knee amputation was carried out. He has since been fitted with a prosthetic limb.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the driver of the vehicle had not been trained to use the ATV and the company had allowed the boy to accompany the worker on previous occasions.
A notification of contravention letter was sent to the company and an improvement notice was issued which the company complied with.
J Kelly and Sons of Airdrie Farm, Kirkbean, pleaded guilty to breaching Regulation 3(1) (b) of the Prevention of Accidents to Children in Agricultural Regulations 1998. The company has been fined £10,000.
Read more here.
Safe use of ladders
Combination ladders
Following a recent fatal accident investigation, HSE is strongly advising all duty holders and users of combination ladders to ensure that they:
- carry out pre-use checks;
- use them in accordance with instructions;
- check the locking mechanism(s).
Telescopic ladders
The use of telescopic ladders is growing more popular due to their ease of storage and convenience; however, there are numerous issues with many of these products due to the number of components involved and their construction.
Namely:
- they are often rated for a lower load (person, tools and materials);
- the stiles are prone to greater bending;
- they are prone to greater bending of the frame.
Trading Standards are aware of the substandard products and have been taking action.
Forthcoming Events
REHIS Northern Seminar, 29 August, Video Conference
Witness Familiarisation Course, 30 August, Tulliallan
Animal Health and Welfare Update and Development Event, 6 September, Aviemore
Health and Safety Update Course, 20 September, Edinburgh
Food Update Course, 21 September, Edinburgh
IFEH World Environmental Health Day- "Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality", 26 September, Worldwide Intermediate Train the Presenter Course, 28 September, REHIS offices The REHIS Annual Presenters Update Seminar, 4 October, Edinburgh
Witness Familiarisation Course, 18 October, Tulliallan
IFEH Second Academic World Congress on Environmental Health, 22 October, Jamaica
Faculty of Public Health Annual Conference "Public Health in Scotland: Transcending Boundaries", 2 November, Aviemore
IFEH World Congress on Environmental Health, 20-23 March, New Zealand
Follow REHIS on Twitter for regular updates
OSHCR Update
As of 17 August 2017, 1,542 consultants have been approved onto the Occupational Safety and Health Consultants’ Register (OSCHR) and this figure includes a number of Chartered EHO members of the institute. Further information on the Register is available from the OSHCR website
Website
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