The Generalitat has jointly fined the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council and the company Emiser Valles €6,140 for failing to protect a caretaker who contracted Legionella in August 2024. The worker spent 18 days in ICU.
The Labour Inspection concluded that both the Santa Coloma de Gramenet City Council and the contractor Emiser Valles "contributed significantly" to the Legionella infection suffered by a municipal caretaker in August 2024. The fine of €6,140 is joint and was ratified by the Territorial Services of the Department of Business and Labour of the Generalitat.
The worker, identified by the initials J. M. D. F., was sent to purge closed sports facilities without training or protective equipment. Five days later, he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia due to Legionella, spending 18 days in ICU and another 30 hospitalised. He has been left with respiratory sequelae as a reminder.
A Task Outside the Contract
The investigation revealed that a municipal technician from Culture and Sports emailed Emiser requesting one of their workers to handle "Legionella prevention". However, this task was not included in the caretaking contract. The City Council had outsourced the control of Legionella to the companies Tecnocontrol and Imesapi, but still ordered Emiser to carry it out, at least since 2023.
The director of the Territorial Services of Barcelona, Lídia Frías, emphasised that the council "fails in its duty of oversight and control" by allowing a risky task to be executed outside the protocol. The resolution describes the municipal action as an "evident violation" of its duty of protection.
City Council Appeal
Municipal sources confirm the fine and state that in June they appealed to the General Directorate of Labour Relations of the Generalitat. The council argues that "the causal link" between its actions and the worker's infection, who was an employee of the contractor, has "not been proven".
Emiser is also deemed responsible for "exposing the worker to a dangerous task without training or protection". The company directly ordered the caretaker to perform a task outside his duties, without risk assessment or personal protective equipment.
A Concerning Precedent
The file confirms that the City Council had been giving these orders since at least 2023, suggesting a habitual practice. For the reader in Santa Coloma, the news highlights the need to review occupational safety protocols in municipal facilities. Meanwhile, the council awaits the resolution of the appeal.
For now, the financial penalty is final and the case serves as a warning: sending a caretaker to act as a Legionella technician without training can be costly, both in money and health.
