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MP Rob Flello visits Inta after Staffordshire Legionella outbreak

Anti-scald tap, shower and valve manufacturer Inta has received a commitment from Rob Flello, MP for Stoke-on-Trent South, that he will push for a review of the part G building regulations in Parliament after learning that lack of enforcement is compromising bathroom health and safety.

The MP visited Inta's Staffordshire headquarters to discuss the problems caused by Legionella in the wake of a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Stoke-on-Trent.

Inta has spent a decade campaigning for greater industry awareness on how to manage the risk of Legionella as part of its mission to eliminate scalding from UK bathrooms. The company's directors invited Rob Flello to discuss their work and products after learning that he has called for a public inquiry into the handling of the outbreak.

Stuart Gizzi, director at Inta, said: "At Inta we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of the anti-scald agenda. We are, however, aware that many see the risk of scalding and the risk of Legionella as a trade-off. This simply isn't the case.

"The tragic outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in Stoke-on-Trent has highlighted how important it is to be aware of and pay serious consideration to safety measures in the bathroom. The Part G building regulations introduced in 2010 made it mandatory for all new builds to fit a thermostatic mixing valve (TMV) in the bathroom - but this leaves millions of outdated and refurbished bathrooms exempt from the legislation.

"Thermostatic mixing valves cool very hot water to a safe temperature of up to just 46 degrees. As the water enters the valve hot enough to kill Legionella bacteria, TMVs are a simple and affordable solution to both risks. Unfortunately, the regulations aren't far-reaching enough to protect all of our bathrooms and poor enforcement means many are still exposed to these dangers.

Rob Flello added: "Inta's hard work and campaigning on Legionella and anti-scald awareness really is commendable and I hope that by raising these issues in Parliament we will see a greater commitment to safe bathrooms.

"Clearly there are kinks in the legislation that need to be ironed out if we are going to make these risks a thing of the past and we need to seize the opportunity for change immediately."

T: 01889 272 180
W: www.intatec.co.uk

19th October 2012