What is a Legionella Risk Assessment
Legionella, what is it?
In order to describe what a Legionella risk assessment is it is necessary to describe what Legionella is. Legionella is a Gram -ve micro organism capable of causing a fatal infectious pneumonia type sickness named Legionellosis. The micro organism thrives in all water in between the temperatures of 20 C and 45 C. Any age group can be susceptible to Legionella infection if living or visiting an environment of high risk. However, men over the age of 50, particularly those men who smoke cigarettes or have immune suppressing diseases, are at higher risk of contracting the disease.
Legionellosis has 2 variances; Legionnaires’ disease and Pontiac fever. Legionnaires’ disease causes pneumonia and can be deadly, whilst Pontiac fever is a milder illness with symptoms the same as those of a bad cold and is not deadly.
Threat of Legionella Infection from Engineered Water Systems
Legionella can be found inhigh concentration within artificial water supply systems such as hot & cold domestic water pipes and within industrial process pipework. If the environment is favourable the Legionella can breed and colonise the system, accumulating the risk of Legionnaire’s disease, particularly if the water system is linked to a shower or spray tap, as it is in these situations that people can become infected with Legionella by inhaling contaminated water droplets.
The risk of acquiring a Legionella infection from water supplies, specifically within the workplace environment , has been significantly reduced by stricter health & safety laws . The Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health or COSHH Regulations 2002 ensure that employers manage the water systems to an acceptable enoughlevel so as to keep infections to a minimum.
Legionella Risk Assessment Specialists
Legionella risk assessment providers usually offer a program of services that lower the risk of a Legionella infection by ensuring that guidelines are met. To start with they would carry out Legionella risk assessments which would assess the risk of infection associated with the water system. This would involve a detailed examination of the water system to include the source of the water, if there was stored water on site such as water tanks or water heaters, the number of outlets present and how often these were used, the type of person that may use the water system and how the water system was being managed to lower the risk of Legionnaires disease.
Once a Legionella risk assessment has been done it is then possible to initiate a routine inspection and management plan to continue risk control . This can include routine temperature testing, bacteial sampling, cleaning and disinfection and must include keeping logs .
Good Legionella assessments should allow the companies’ own members of staff to implement a Legionella control program to enable management of the risk of Legionella themselves. Most Legionella management companies can also provide training of staff members to ensure they understand their responsibilities and can effectively carry out the Legionella control work that they have been given. They can also be educated to be able to carry out Legionella risk audits to sustain the effectiveness of the in-house Legionella control scheme.
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