Health & Safety Risk Management System

H06 - Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection resulting from exposure to the Leptospira interrogans bacterium. There is an acute form of human infection known as Weil’s Disease, where the patient suffers from jaundice. Weil’s Disease is comparatively rare, though ‘mild’ cases of leptospirosis are surprisingly common across the globe.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease which means it is passed from animals to humans; it is extremely rare to catch it from another human being. Anyone who is exposed to rats, rat or cattle urine or fetal fluid from cattle is at risk. Farmers are now the main group at risk for both Weil’s Disease and cattle leptospirosis. The cattle form is a special risk for dairy farmers. Other people who have contracted leptospirosis in recent years include: vets, meat inspectors, butchers, abattoir and sewer workers. Workers in contact with canal and river water are also at risk.

Protective clothing or footwear should be worn by anyone exposed to contaminated water or soil because of their job. However, employers should have safe work practices to prevent leptospirosis and these are detailed in the Leptospirosis Procedure.

In 2005/06, two million people were suffering from an illness they believed was caused or made worse by their current or past work. In 2005 approximately 1,578 cases of work-related infections (including leptospirosis) were reported. Employers should be aware of the main piece of legislation that applies to infections at work which is the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).

Micro-organisms are covered in COSHH by the term biological agents. These are defined as any micro-organism, cell culture, prion or human endoparasite whether or not genetically modified which may cause infection, allergy, toxicity or otherwise create a hazard to human health. The general requirements of COSHH, ie risk assessment and prevention or control of exposure will apply to most workplaces. But there are also additional requirements for work with micro-organisms, in laboratories, animal rooms, and industrial processes, contained in Schedule 3 of the main regulations.

The second piece of relevant legislation is the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR 95). RIDDOR lists reportable diseases which include infections such as leptospirosis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, anthrax, legionellosis and tetanus.