Hospital Mould Lawsuit to Set Precedent

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Hospital Mould Lawsuit to Set Precedent

Published 28.08.2008,

YLE News - Helsinki,Uusimaa,Finland*

http://www.yle.fi/news/id99920.html

Health care organisations are not surprised by the lawsuit being

brought against a hospital district by employees suffering from

mould-related illnesses. The Finnish Institute of Occupational

Health says that nearly all of Finland's central hospitals have

mould problems.

The Institute believes that the lawsuit filed in Kokkola may be the

tip of the iceberg. Three midwives and an archivist say the presence

of mould in a hospital in Ostrobothnia caused them years of

sickness, making them unable to work. One of them had to retire for

health reasons.

Professor Kari Reijula, from the Institute of Occupational Health,

says that 15 percent of surfaces in hospitals are in need of repair.

" The most common reason is mould, " he says, warning that unless the

problem is rapidly addressed, the health of both employees and

patients may be at risk.

The nurses' union Tehy says that nursing staff contact them on a

regular basis to complain about mould problems in their workplaces.

" The workplace safety legislation is very clear. The law required

the employer to take care of the working environment, to ensure that

it does not endanger the health of any employee, " says Tehy

personnel lawyer Irmeli Vuoriluoto.

She says she will watch the precedent-setting case in Ostrobothnia

with great interest, and with some trepidation. She believes that if

the court rules in the employers' favour, it will make it

exceedingly difficult to protect employees against similar problems.

The lawsuit in Kokkola claims the hospital district neglected to fix

the problem adequately or quickly enough. The Hospital District,

which was surprised by the suit, denies neglecting the mould

problem. It also says some of the details in the suit are inaccurate.

YLE