Volume 6: Human Health, 1989-96
8. Development of guidance on occupational risks from BSE and other TSEs
Introduction
Officials from HSE, DH and MAFF featured in this chapter
Health and Safety Executive (HSE)
Department of Health (DH)
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF)

8.1 When an animal is suffering from disease or is a carrier, there are obvious safety risks for those who work in contact with it. At its simplest, they may risk injury from uncharacteristic aggressive behaviour. But they may also be at risk of themselves contracting the disease if it is zoonotic - transferable from animals to humans - such as tuberculosis, rabies and anthrax. Infection may be through cuts, inhalation or by mouth. Even when the animal is dead, its tissues may still be infective, as we have seen over recent years with E. coli and salmonella. When humans contract the disease, they may pose a further set of risks to others who are involved with their medical care.

8.2 In this chapter we look at the way the Government and other responsible bodies handled the development of guidance on occupational risks from BSE and other transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). After briefly surveying the guidance issued on TSEs before the emergence of BSE, the rest of the chapter focuses on the response on occupational risks from 1988 to March 1996.

8.3 The occupations at risk of exposure to the BSE agent spanned stockmen and farmers, veterinary surgeons, slaughterhouse workers, knackermen, renderers, workers at local authority landfill sites and at incinerators, and laboratory workers such as pathologists. People working in zoos and wildlife parks were at risk from the emergence of TSEs, during 1986 to 1996, in exotic ungulates and members of the cat family. Similarly medical and health care professionals, mortuary workers and undertakers were at risk from the emergence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD).

8.4 The lead responsibility for occupational health guidance and regulations lay with the Health and Safety Executive of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC/HSE). However, many aspects were the province of individual government Departments or required other specialist input. In these cases, HSE worked closely with the relevant Department. The HSC/HSE itself is a complex organisation drawing on a range of advisory Committees and groups. It issues advice and guidance in a variety of ways, ranging from advertisements and information to codes of practice. Annex 1 provides a brief overview of its structure and responsibilities; further details are given in vol. 14: Responsibilities for Human and Animal Health.

8.5 The Southwood Working Party identified occupational risk as an important matter for the HSE to consider. In their Report published in February 1989 they drew attention to occupational groups at risk and recommended that the potential problems from BSE should be brought to the attention of HSE, which could consider whether further guidance should be given to such groups.

8.6 HSE carried forward work on this in three Working Groups whose membership included officials from DH and MAFF as well as others. Annex 2 provides details of the membership, and where available the terms of reference of the various Committees and Working Groups that considered BSE. Annex 3 provides an alphabetical list of the occupations potentially at risk and the guidance produced from 1981 to 1996. Annex 4 provides a chronological summary of occupational guidance issued up to June 1996 on BSE and other TSEs.

Officials from HSE, DH and MAFF featured in this chapter

8.7 Certain officials from HSE, DH and MAFF played key roles in the production of occupational guidance in relation to BSE and TSEs. In the following paragraphs we describe these officials briefly, including their membership of the relevant committees and working groups. Their membership of these various committees and groups is set out in the table in Annex 2 (Appendix).

Health and Safety Executive (HSE)

Mr Peter Lister

8.8 Head of Section, Health Policy Division B1 (HSE) responsible for policy issues in relation to all aspects of occupationally acquired infection either proven or suspected. ¹ Member of the HSE BSE Working Group and the Cross-Divisional Task Force on Zoonoses (CDTFZ); also the joint HSE Secretary to both the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens (ACDP) and the ACDP Working Group.

Dr David Gompertz

8.9 Deputy Director Medical Services (HSE) from 1985 to 1993. Involved in various cross-divisional multidisciplinary activities related to his background in pathology and laboratory science, including development of HSE's interest in the occupational zoonoses and occupational risks from BSE. ² He was Chairman of the HSE BSE Working Group and the CDTFZ.

Mr Alastair McLean

8.10 Area Director Scotland West Area from March 1987 to June 1993. Responsible for the administration of the Health and Safety at Work Etc Act 1974 and associated legislation in Scotland West Area (administrative areas of Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway and the Outer Islands). Overall responsibility for the Food and Packaging National Industry Group. Member of CDTFZ. ³

Mr Stuart North

8.11 Deputy Superintending Inspector of Factories between July 1989 and April 1996, in charge of the HSE Food National Industry Group (NIG). Had day-to-day responsibility for national oversight of health and safety in the food industry and reported directly to Mr McLean. ⁴ Member of the HSE BSE Working Group and the CDTFZ.

Dr Vanessa Mayatt

8.12 Principal Specialist Inspector between 1987 and November 1990 with overall responsibility for the Microbiology Unit. Responsible for providing advice to other HSE Inspectors and to organisations where HSE enforced health and safety law on precautions to avoid microbiological risk. ⁵ Member of HSE BSE Working Group, CDTFZ and the ACDP.

Department of Health (DH)

Dr Hilary Pickles

8.13 Principal Medical Officer. Dr Pickles held the Departmental lead on BSE between 1988 and 1990 and the professional lead between 1988 and 1991. ⁶ In May 1988 she became joint secretary to the newly formed Southwood Working Party and subsequently SEAC. She was also a member of the HSE BSE Working Group and of the ACDP Working Group and DH observer on the ACDP.

Ms Ailsa McGinty

8.14 Senior Scientific Officer, Health Care Division (DH), from May 1989 to February 1992. From February 1992 to September 1995, Principal Scientific Officer of the Health Aspect of Environment and Food Division. She provided professional advice to DH colleagues on the provision of microbiology pathology services, laboratory safety issues, disinfection and policy on general pathology service. ⁷ She was a member of the HSE BSE Working Group and the CDTFZ. In February 1992 she also became the DH Secretariat to both the ACDP and the ACDP Working Group.

Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF)

Mr Alan Lawrence

8.15 Mr Lawrence was Grade 6 in MAFF Animal Health Division (BSE and related issues), January 1989 - October 1992. ⁸ His role comprised activities in the Notifiable Diseases Branch and centred on administrative aspects of dealing with outbreaks of notifiable diseases. ⁹ He was also joint secretary of the Southwood Working Party.

Mr John Maslin

8.16 Head of the Administrative Branch, Animal Health (Disease Control) Division (MAFF) from February 1989. Dealt with non-notifiable and notifiable diseases including BSE. From April 1990, head of a separate BSE branch providing administrative support on the development and implementation of policy on BSE. He reported to Mr Lawrence. ¹⁰ Member of HSE BSE Working Group.

Mr Dennis Sweasey

8.17 Mr Sweasey was a Safety Officer for the Central Veterinary Laboratory (CVL). He was a MAFF observer on ACDP and a member of the Committee's Working Group.

Dr Danny Matthews

8.18 From 1988 onwards Dr Matthews was a Senior Veterinary Officer (SVO) with the State Veterinary Service (SVS). He was a member of the HSE BSE Working Group and the CDTFZ.

Mr Andrew Fleetwood

8.19 Veterinary Investigation Officer in the SVS from 1987 to late in 1991, when he became Temporary Senior Veterinary Investigation Officer and then Senior Veterinary Officer, Animal Health (Zoonoses) Division. He held this post until 1996. ¹¹ He was a member of the CDTFZ.