- What Regulations apply?
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Various pieces of legislation apply to Legionella including, but not limited to:
- What is Legionnaires Disease?
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Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia. People catch Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air which contain the Legionella bacterium.
- Where does it occur?
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The bacterium which causes Legionnaires' disease is widespread in nature. It mainly lives in water, for example ponds, where it does not usually cause problems. Outbreaks occur from purpose-built water systems where temperatures are warm enough to encourage growth of the bacteria, e.g. in cooling towers, evaporative condensers and whirlpool spas and from water used for domestic purposes in buildings such as hotels.
Most outbreaks in the UK have been linked to installations such as cooling towers or evaporative condensers which can spread droplets of water over a wide area. These are found as part of air-conditioning and industrial cooling systems.
- What do I have to do to control Legionnaires disease?
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To prevent the occurrence of Legionnaires' disease, companies which operate these systems must comply with regulations requiring them to manage, maintain and treat them properly. Amongst other things, this means that the water must be treated and the system cleaned regularly. This subject matter is very specialist and often the best way forward is to consult a specialist who will undertake a risk assessment of the property and advise on any actions need to combat Legionella.
- What guidance is available on routine testing?
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The Health and Safety Executives Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (ACoP) "Legionnaires' disease: Control of Legionella bacteria in water systems" (L8) recommends that routine testing for Legionella bacteria in wet cooling systems be carried out at least quarterly, and more frequently when a system is being commissioned, or if the bacteria has been identified on a previous occasion.