Legionella risk assessment? – Relax, we’ve got it covered

The HSE guidance document Legionnaires’ disease: The control of legionella in hot and cold water systems (HSG 274) states that

“all water systems require a legionella risk assessment but not all systems require elaborate control measures” (s.2.140)

…if a water system design does not present a high risk of legionella growth, the risk assessment report confirms this and can be used to demonstrate this, but it also gives guidance on how the risk of legionella can be controlled. Even where a system design is low risk, incorrect temperatures, low-usage, lack of maintenance and many other factors can raise the risk of legionella growth and exposure.

HSG 274 continues, “it is a legal duty to carry out an assessment to identify and assess whether there is a risk posed by exposure to legionella from the hot and cold water system or any work associated with it”. This guidance is enforceable under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 and COSHH Regulations 2002 (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health).

The legionella bacteria can survive and grow in any type of water system. Even the most simple water system, treated in a certain way, is capable of encouraging it’s growth.

The Approved Code of Practice: Legionnaires’ Disease: The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems L8, Fourth Edition (also known as ‘ACoP L8’) outlines the duties placed upon those in control of buildings in relation to management and control of legionella risks in their water systems. Duty holders are identified as residential and commercial landlords and those under the Health & Safety at Work Regulations who are responsible for the water systems within their premises.

The legionella risk assessment is one of the main criteria of each duty holder and ACoP L8 states that “the dutyholder must ensure that the person who carries out the risk assessment and provides advice on prevention and control of exposure must be competent to do so” (Section 28). It continues by advising “Inadequate management, lack of training and poor communication are all contributory factors in outbreaks of legionnaires’ disease. It is therefore important that the people involved in assessing risk and applying precautions are competent, trained and aware of their responsibilities.” (Section 50).

Legionnaires’ disease is contracted by inhaling water droplets which contain the legionella bacteria. It affects patients in different ways but can potentially be life-threatening and is a risk which can be avoided, or at least reduced significantly, in most situations. The legionella risk assessment helps duty holders to ensure they are compliant with the law and, more importantly, that users of the building are safer.

We try to calculate the approximate time the survey will take, and then factor in the writing up time and travel and, as we are a small family company, we do not add any more money than that. Midlands Legionella Control offer the lowest prices for all legionella risk assessments – and we guarantee to beat any written quotation from a recognised competitor.

We are based in Willenhall and work both locally and nationally. We carry out many legionella risk assessments in the Midlands, although we also offer our services nationally to all of the mainland UK and also have regular work in Devon, London, Dorset, Norfolk, Flintshire and Lancashire, giving us truly national capabilities.