Hygiene inspections on passenger ships in Europe - an overview

Varvara A Mouchtouri,Sandra Westacott,Christopher Lr Bartlett,Mel Skipp,Christos Hadjichristodoulou,The Shipsan Partnership** ,Gordon Nichols,Tobias Riemer,Jenny Kremastinou

doi:10.1186/1471-2458-10-122

Abstract

BackgroundHygiene inspections on passenger ships are important for the prevention of communicable diseases. The European Union (EU) countries conduct hygiene inspections on passenger ships in order to ensure that appropriate measures have been taken to eliminate potential sources of contamination which could lead to the spread of communicable diseases. This study was implemented within the framework of the EU SHIPSAN project and it investigates the legislation applied and practices of hygiene inspections of passenger ships in the EU Member States (MS) and European Free Trade Association countries.MethodsTwo questionnaires were composed and disseminated to 28 countries. A total of 92 questionnaires were completed by competent authorities responsible for hygiene inspections (n = 48) and the creation of legislation (n = 44); response rates were 96%, and 75.9%, respectively.ResultsOut of the 48 responding authorities responsible for hygiene inspections, a routine programme was used by 19 (39.6%) of these to conduct inspections of ships on national voyages and by 26 (54.2%) for ships on international voyages. Standardised inspection forms are used by 59.1% of the authorities. A scoring inspection system is applied by five (11.6%) of the 43 responding authorities. Environmental sampling is conducted by 84.1% of the authorities (37 out of 44). The inspection results are collected and analysed by 54.5% (24 out of 44) of the authorities, while 9 authorities (20.5%) declared that they publish the results. Inspections are conducted during outbreak investigations by 75% and 70.8% of the authorities, on ships on national and international voyages, respectively. A total of 31 (64.6%) and 39 (81.3%) authorities conducted inspections during complaint investigations on ships on international and on national voyages, respectively. Port-to-port communication between the national port authorities was reported by 35.4% (17 out of 48) of the responding authorities and 20.8% (10 out of 48) of the port authorities of other countries.ConclusionThis study revealed a diversity of approaches and practices in the conduct of inspections, differences in the qualifications/knowledge/experience of inspectors, the legislation applied during inspections, and the lack of communication and training among many EU countries. An integrated European inspection programme involving competent expert inspectors in each EU Member States and special training for ship hygiene delivered to crew members and inspectors would help to minimize the risk of communicable diseases. Common inspection tools at a European level for hygiene inspection practices and port-to-port communication are needed.

Highlights

Hygiene inspections on passenger ships are important for the prevention of communicable diseases
Competent authorities in the European Union (EU) The results of this study revealed that in the EU Member States and the EFTA countries, the type of competent authorities responsible for conducting ship hygiene inspections differed from country to country
The study results have revealed that there are diverse approaches and practices related to inspection as well as the legislation applied during inspections among the EU countries

Summary

Introduction

Hygiene inspections on passenger ships are important for the prevention of communicable diseases. An inspection is a procedure conducted in order to examine establishments, processes, products, systems and records. Overall, it aims at assessing conditions and operations in relation to specific standards. As part of national environmental health systems, hygiene inspections are conducted by competent governmental agencies in order to verify compliance with legal requirements, usually focusing on food businesses and food safety [1]. Hygiene in establishments such as passenger ships extends beyond food safety, since other areas of public health importance are present These include, amongst others, potable and recreational water, waste management, legionnaires’ disease prevention, pest management and the condition of accommodation spaces. A hygiene inspection aboard a ship is a complex procedure, involving many of the aforementioned aspects and requiring comprehensive knowledge on the part of the inspector

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Conclusion