Legionella contd...

Plant equipment that could pose this risk are:
• Cooling towers
• Evaporative condensers
• Hot water systems with volumes greater than 300 litres
• Hot and cold water systems in buildings where there are vulnerable people such as hospitals, nursing homes, and so on
• Humidifiers and air washers which create water sprays at temperatures above 20° C
• Spa baths and pools where warm water is agitated and re-circulated

Where it is not practicable to avoid using this type of plant, then a responsible person, for example the facilities manager, must draw up a written scheme to control and reduce the risk.

The scheme should include the following:
• Current plans of the systems
• Details of the safe operation of the plant
• The necessary precautions to prevent the bacteria growing

The precautions should include:
• Water treatment
• Temperature control
• Routine maintenance schedules
• Sampling regime to ensure the precautions are working
• Details of the person undertaking the sampling and subsequent analysis with a record of the results kept

Any sampling and analysis should be done by someone who is capable of sampling and interpreting the results< Previous Next >