Exploding dell computer at Nuffield

Not so long ago, while working at Nuffield Hospital, a computer started smoking at the back of the large piece of equipment. We pulled the plug, thus preventling the chunk of hospital going up in flames, we let it cool down overnight, went home, and next morning called an engineer. The engineer let it slip that this was by no means the first time it happened. These computers often overheated. He also said, that as the computer was made by Dell, and simply added to the back of the unit, the manufacturers of the analyzer itself were not really responsible.

Well I thought that this may need to be reported, as the NHS hospitals are littered with this equipment and as they tend to be left unattended for prolonged periods of time, overheating may well cause fire.

Alas, I was naive. For a while I expected incident report to be completed. Then I approached our estate manager, who is responsible health and safety, and asked him if this incident comes under RIDDOR. He didn't think so, but he was waiting for a official report about the incident from my boss. In addition, I heard that hospital already reported two incidents to local Health and Safety Executive, and the third one may trigger an investigation. I asked if it would make sense to write to Medical Devices Agency but got brushed off.

After a while it became obvious that my boss had no intention to waste time on the incident report, and I was pissing him off just mentioning it. Medical Devices Agency would not take

anonymous report and I would step on every imaginable toe if I were to circumvent proper channels and take the matter to them myself.

I always felt a coward for not forcing the issue. Sometimes I had nightmares that there is a burning hospital building with fire started by computer at the back of these large analysers.

Yet reporting the incident was clearly not part of my job description. I raised it with all appropriate people and agencies. Did I do enough? When is a right time to let go of something? At which point do you draw the line and say "Lets forget it, its somebody else's ball, they get paid more than me, I want to get on with my life and clear my conscience."