Five employees at the Statens Serum Institut has been infected with tuberculosis, which is one of the world’s most dangerous diseases, and as each year turns over a million people to death. It can Radio24syv tell.
According to the anonymous sources came the accident in one of the laboratories, which are being researched in a vaccine against tuberculosis. Here should an employee have breached safety procedures, which led to that employee and four colleagues were infected with the disease.
Statens Serum Institut confirms the opposite Radio24syv, that there has been an accident and that five employees have been infected last year.
– We have a spilduheld, where we discover that there is an employee who has committed a mistake in the handling of infectious waste. We start then a study where we find that, unfortunately, there are five employees who have been exposed to tuberculosis, says Frank Follmann, head of department at Statens Serum Institut for Radio24syv.
According to Frank Follmann, the employees are offered treatment, and the risk that they will become ill is very small. Anyway, take the situation very seriously.
– We have worked for many years with tuberculosis, without that there has been the kind of accident. It is clear here that this accident is affecting us, and we take this very seriously, he says.
the Accident has led to that we now have stricter security procedures, says Frank Follmann.
– We have tightened our procedures in relation to handling of waste, and so we have implemented gencertificeringsforløb, and we will hold updates for employees each year, he says.
The experienced employee, who was behind the accident, is no longer employed by the Statens Serum Institut. Frank Follmann rejects the opposite Radio24syv, that there is talk about a firing, and says that the stop is made after a joint agreement between Statens Serum Institut and the employee concerned.
Frank Follmann rejects at the same time that the accident occurred due to lack of safety procedures or training of employees.
– We have a thoroughly, thoroughly training, so I think this is completely standard and by the book. We also train our employees in relation to accidents and mishaps, so the procedures should live according to my beliefs up to all the standards, he says.
Yet made an experienced employee, who according to several anonymous sources have helped to train others in security, that is an error, now has major consequences.
According to former employees as Radio24syv have spoken with, they have also been tested for the disease, although they do not work at the Statens Serum Institut during the accident.
Frank Follmann confirm that you have tested the former employees in the event that prior to the accident has been any other breach of security.
– It is to go with both belt and braces. When we see that errors have been made, so we test everyone who has been with the laboratory to make, he says.