A CHEMICAL leak at a private hospital which resulted in a man being taken to A&E is still under investigation more than 18 months after it happened.

On March 11, 2021, there was a leak in a chemical maintenance room at The Hampshire Clinic, in Basing Road, which injured three people.

READ MORE: Fire service attend incident at BMI The Hampshire Clinic

An engineer, employed by a third-party company carrying out maintenance to a hydrotherapy pool, was taken to hospital following the incident, with two others injured and treated at the scene.

It is not known what injuries they suffered or how severe they were.

The incident was reported by the private hospital to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) – the government agency responsible for the regulation and enforcement of workplace health, safety, and welfare. 

However, almost more than 18 months after the incident happened, HSE said the investigation is still ongoing.

SEE ALSO: Health leaders plea to public as Covid and flu cases rise in Hampshire

A spokesperson said: “HSE is still investigating and cannot comment any further at this time.”

In March this year – a year after the incident happened – a HSE spokesperson described the investigation as “complex” adding: “HSE aims to complete [the investigation] as quickly as possible”.

HSE investigates incidents to help improve health and safety standards.

As part of its investigation, it will determine the cause, share lessons, identify what actions need to be taken to prevent a recurrence, and, where appropriate, gather evidence to bring a prosecution.

It only investigates the “most serious work-related incidents”.

When investigating, HSE is responsible for gathering and establishing the facts of what happened; identifying immediate and underlying causes and lessons to be learned; and considering appropriate enforcement action.

Investigations range from an enquiry by a single inspector about a minor incident or complaint to a large enquiry involving a team of inspectors and other agencies.

A spokesperson for The Hampshire Clinic said: "It would be inappropriate for us to comment as the HSE investigation is ongoing."