WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

If you are an employee, or someone in control of premises, Including landlords, you must understand the health risks associated with legionella. 

Duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) to extend from legionella bacteria risks that may arise from work activities. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) Provide a broad framework for controlling health and safety at work. More specifically, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) Provide a framework of Measures designed for the assessment, prevention or control of the risk from bacteria like Legionella, and take suitable precautions. The Approved Code of Practice:  Legionnaires' disease: The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems (L8)  contains practical guidance on how to manage and control the Risks in your system. 

As the person in control of the premises , you  are responsible for health and safety and need to take the right precautions to reduce the risks of exposure to legionella. You must understand how to:

  • Identify sources and for assessment of risk
  • manage any risks
  • prevent prevention prevention prevention prevention prevention or control any risks
  • maintain and keep the proper records
  • carry out any other duties that you may have

Identify sources and for Assessment of Risk

Carrying out a risk assessment is your responsibility. You may be competent to carry out the assessment yourself purpose, if not, you should call on help and advice from either within your own organization or from outside sources, eg consultancies.

You or the person responsible for managing risks, need to understand your water systems, the equipment associated with the system such as pumps, heat exchangers, showers etc., and identify whether they are likely to create a risk from exposure to legionella, and whether:

  • the water temperature in all or some parts of the system is between 20-45 ° C
  • Stored water is re-circulated adequately through the system
  • there are sources of nutrients such As rust, sludge, scale, organic matter and biofilms
  • the systems are likely to encourage bacteria to multiply
  • it is feasible for water droplets to be produced and, if so, whether they can be dispersed over a wide area, eg aerosols from showers and cooling towers
  • it is likely that any of your employees, residents, visitors etc. are more susceptible to infection due to age, illness, weakened immune system etc., and whether they could be exposed to-any contaminated water droplets

Your risk assessment should include:

  • management responsibilities, including the name of the competent person and a description of your system
  • training and competence of key staff
  • Any potential risk sources 
  • Any means of preventing the risk or controls in place to control risks
  • monitoring, inspection and maintenance procedures
  • Records of the monitoring and inspection results and the the the the carried out checks
  • arrangements to review the risk assessment Regularly, PARTICULARLY When there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid  

Managing the risk

As an employee, or person in control of premises, you must appoint someone competent to help you meet your health and safety duties and to take responsibility for controlling any risk from exposure to legionella bacteria. A competent person, often known as the responsible person, is someone with sufficient authority, competence, necessary skills, knowledge of the system, and experience. The appointed responsible person could be one, or a combination of:

  • yourself
  • one or more workers
  • someone from outside your business

If there are several responsible people managing risks, eg because of shift-work patterns, you sure must make everyone knows what they are responsible for and how they fit into the overall risk management of the system.

If you decide to employee contractors to carry out water treatment or other work, it is still the responsibility of the competent person to ensure that the treatment is the the the carried out to the required standards. Remember, before you employed a contractor, you should be satisfied that they can do the work you want, to the standard that you require. 

Preventing or controlling the risk

You should consider first whether you can prevent prevention prevention prevention prevention the risk of legionella by looking at the kind of water system you need, eg Identify whether it is feasible to replace a wet cooling tower with a dry air-cooled system. The key item is to design & Maintain and operate your water services under terms That prevent prevention prevention prevention prevention or adequately control the growth and multiplication of legionella.

If you have risks that you are unable to prevent, you must introduce a written control scheme, hat will help you to manage the risk from legionella by effectively implementing control measures, by describing:

  • your system, eg a schematic diagram
  • who is responsible for carrying out the assessment and implementation managing it
  • the safe and proper operation of your system
  • what control methods and precautions --other you will be using
  • what will checks will be carried out , and how often they will be carried out

You should:

  • Ensure that the release of water spray is controlled Properly
  • Ensure that water temperature and conditions do not favor the growth of legionella and micro-organisms
  • Ensure water can not stagnate anywhere in the system by keeping pipe lengths as short as possible, or Removing redundant pipework
  • Avoid materials that encourages the growth of legionella 
  • Keep the system and the water in it clean
  • Either treat water to control the growth of legionella (and other microorganisms) or limit their ability to grow
  • Monitor any monitor applied control measures
  • keep records of these and any other measures, eg service & repair work

Keeping records

If you-have five or more employed, you are required to record any significant findings, Including the steps taken to prevent risks. If you have less than five employees, you do not need to write anything down, although it is Useful to keep a written record of what you-have done.

Records include details of the should:

  1. person or persons responsible for conducting the risk assessment, managing, and Implementing the written scheme
  2. Significant findings of the risk assessment
  3. written control scheme and details of its implementation
  4. details of the state of operation of the system, ie in use / not in use
  5. Any results of monitoring inspection, test or check the the the the carried out, and the dates  

These records should be retained throughout the period for whilst they remain current and for at least two years after that period, and in any event, for at least five years.