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B&Q fined £20,000 for hot tub breach

Published: 14 March 2008
The diy retailer pleads guilty to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
As a result of the breach at its Longwell Green store, in April 2005, the company has been fined £20,000.

The breach occurred when the Bristol-based store failed to follow company procedure by filling a display hot tub with water.

The bubbling water created an aerosol of contaminated airborne water particles to which customers were exposed.

"When B&Q was made aware of the situation all stores were re-issued with a mandatory notice banning the display of working hot tubs," a spokesperson said.

They added: "We are not aware of any sickness reported by customers or employees as a result of this breach."

Comments

Published prior to March 2014
By Bob
I work for b&q and this isn't and won't be the last incedent where the company fails to notice a breach in it's procedures. To be frankly honest the people within the head office have absolutely no idea, they don't ask for shop floor workers input and have little understanding of the products, let alone procedures needed to be followed.
Published prior to March 2014
By James Arjuna
I don't understand how you have such an extreme law that does not allow people to see a working hot tub. Why not just have a law that anybody who doesn't take care of the water properly, goes to jail, and leave the rest of the good, diligent store owners alone? Why make everybody pay for a few idiots.

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