Legionella Legal Requirements
Employers are required to control the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria in accordance with Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. This is achieved by following the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) L8 The Control of Legionella (Bacteria in Water Systems) in general these require the employer to conduct the following:
The aim of any Legionella Risk Assessment should be to assess and record the extent, condition, design and management of all water systems within a property. It should assess the risk of bacterial contamination by Legionella species, the potential of the bacteria to multiply and the potential for this to infect people with Legionnaire’s disease.
The risk assessment should allow site management to instigate remedial actions to decrease any perceived immediate risk and to implement a Legionella control program to manage the risks long term. The Legionella assessment should include not only the physical water systems but should also include the management structure, current control systems in place and execution of these control mechanisms. Without adequate management a control program will always fail.
When we undertake a Legionella Risk Assessment all recommendations are be made with the site’s specific requirements in mind, taking into account such things as occupancy and usage. It should also take into account such things as budgets and manpower so as to devise realistic options that the site will be able to implement.
When we present the report it is done in such a way as to make understanding the requirements easy. We provide detailed remedial actions with prioritised risk ratings to enable you to remedy higher risk items first.
A Legionella Risk Assessment is truly bespoke and will include the following information:
- Design and physical condition of hot and cold water systems, tanks, water heaters, thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs), air conditioning and all other systems capable of posing a risk.
- Aerosol generation capability of outlets and water systems
- Storage and distribution temperatures
- Any areas of stagnation or dead-legs
- Biological analysis results
- Risk of exposure posed by each system
- Detailed system schematics
- Remedial works recommendations
- Any chemical treatment requirements
- Management regime recommendations
If you fail to produce an up-to-date Legionella Risk Assessment upon request from an enforcing authority, you are open to criticism and could face a fine.
We can provide a nationwide service, so contact us today to discuss your requirements with one of our staff and obtain a no obligation quotation for your requirements.
