Issues of public safety in leisure centres in Scotland have come to the fore following an incident in August in which 16 people sustained personal injury as a result of a chemical accident at East Sands Leisure Centre, St Andrews.
According to the Scottish Ambulance Service no person suffered fatal injury as a result of the incident, which, it is believed, was caused by a "possible chemical leak"; however, all of those being treated were said to be suffering from some form of "breathing irritation".
It is thought that the chemical accident was caused by the common swimming pool disinfectant and bleaching agent sodium hypochlorite. Staff at the centre described it as a "major incident". The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) were called to the scene.
"SFRS committed three breathing apparatus teams in gas-tight suits to isolate the power in the plant room and search the building," said the leisure centre. "There are currently 13 SFRS appliances in attendance including five pumping appliances, a control unit, an emergency support unit and a hazardous materials appliance."
Although relatively minor, the incident comes at a time when the 40 families affected by 2012's Legionnaires disease outbreak in Edinburgh have made headlines with their continuing efforts to secure compensation, with Thompsons Solicitors at the fore of their fight for justice.
It also comes at a time when around 300,000 households in Lancashire find themselves needing to boil water; a situation caused by the contamination of the water supply with cryptosporidium.
If you have sustained personal injury in an accident caused by negligence or a defective product or service, click here for more information from Thompsons Solicitors, Scotland's leading personal injury firm.
