As a team Bristol Maritime and its sister company www.BMSafety.co.uk work by the water every day in a variety of countryside, coastal, and inner-city locations. The risk of drowning for our team is actually a lot less than catching a waterborne illness or infection. The reason for this is that we can take obvious control methods which are part of our risk assessments to stop people drowning. Such as a simple thing like wearing a life jacket or Personal Flotation Device (PFD). However waterborne illnesses are often not taken as serious and often reliant on the individual rather than the PPE a company may issue.

 

For example, you cannot see Leptospirosis (a.k.a Weil’s Disease) and you are most likely to pick it up from a bank or wall not from swallowing the water. It only takes 2 seconds of not thinking “Have I washed my hands before I eat this crisp” to suddenly have what could be a life-threatening blood infection.

 

What is a Waterborne Illness

 

There are lots of risks when working near or in water but here are the main 3 which people working near water must be aware of:

 

Leptospirosis (A.K.A Weil’s Disease)

• Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by an organism called Leptospira.
• Can survive for days or even weeks in moist conditions, but only a few hours in salt water.
• Commonly carried by rats, mice, and voles, is the strain that most frequently infects humans.
• The likelihood of becoming infected is greater from stagnant or slow-moving waterways, particularly in high water and flood conditions.
• The usual incubation period is 4 to 14 days but can be up to 30 days.
• Usually, a flu-like illness occurs - fever, shivering, severe headache, vomiting, and pains in the back and calves.
• More severe; may have kidney or liver failure or meningitis, bleeding, and respiratory problems.

 

Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis A is a virus present in faeces, so is present in water contaminated by sewage.
• All personnel in and around inland waterways, and flood operations personnel, are potentially at risk.
• The virus is contracted via the faecal-oral route.

• Variable incubation period of 15-50 days.
• Onset is usually abrupt, producing fever and abdominal discomfort, followed by jaundice.
• Many infections are relatively mild, but in some cases progress to prolonged and severely disabling disease.
• A vaccination against hepatitis A is available, and personnel at risk should seek advice from a GP or Occupational Health Advisor.

 

Gastrointestinal illness

• Ingestion of bacteria that cause gastrointestinal infection is a significant risk in waters containing sewage.
• Salmonella infection is probably the principal bacterial risk, but Campylobacter, pathogenic Escherichia coli, Listeria, and Cryptosporidium may also be present.

 

When is the risk highest of catching a waterborne illness?

 

When rivers or waterways are swollen due to heavy rainfall, the bad weather can sweep everything off the land and into the water. As the water recedes it not only has more dangerous things in it but also the runoff from the rain can leave hidden bacteria on the banks.

 

As a team, you can make sure you understand

 

• What the previous few days weather report was
• Understand the river response times.
• Visually look at the state of the water ways banks
• understand what else happens in the area or upstream of where you are working.

 

Reducing Risk and Taking Precautions:

 

Catching any waterborne illness, it isn’t always down to the cleanliness of the water, as mentioned above Leptospirosis is caught from banks and lives in moist conditions.

 

Any kind of risk of catching something can be greatly reduced through taking the correct precautions. This is often down to the individual having some simple rules such as:

 

• Covering open wounds with waterproof plasters

• Wearing latex and PPE style gloves

• Do not eat, drink, or take comfort breaks without decontaminating

• Wash your hands and face only after you have taken off all PPE

• Shower as soon as possible
• Washing any clothes worn that have come in contact with bank edges or water.
• Avoid swallowing any water if possible (the obvious one)

 

If you do run the risk of catching a waterborne illness whilst working near water.

 

• Carry leptospirosis cards that explain you work near water if someone were to find you very ill this may help. Our team can give you one of these on our water safety training courses
• Tell your doctor that although you have symptoms of a flu like virus, please could you be checked for waterborne illnesses as you work near water. This would normally be done as a blood test.
• Report the Illness (under RIDDOR).

 

 

Nearly all our training courses are based on being by, on, or in water so we have clear signage to explain precautions you need to take. If you would like a copy of these signs, you can find them in our E-zine at the following link: Waterborne Illnesses How to Stay Safe