What your business needs to know about legionella

Every business, whatever the size has a legal duty to carry out a risk assessment for legionnaire’s disease.

What is legionella?

Legionella is the bacteria responsible for legionnaire’s disease. The disease has similar symptoms to pneumonia but cannot be passed from person to person, only through water droplets. It is fatal in approximately 10% of cases and is more prevalent in men over the age of 50. Its name comes from the first recorded outbreak which occurred at a hotel convention in America for the American Legion

Identifying the risks

• Any business that has the following on its premises may be at risk.
• Water systems with temperatures between 25-40 C
• Showers, fountains or cooling towers where water may be aerosolised into droplets
• Water where sources of sludge or other nutrients are present which may enable bacteria to multiply

Prevention and management of the risk

In the UK the HSE recommends that full risk assessment is carried out by business owners or landlords on any premises where legionella may be present. If a risk is identified then the risk can be prevented or controlled in the following ways

• Control the release of any water spray
• Avoid water temperatures that may encourage the growth of the legionella bacteria
• Prevent the formation of stagnant water where bacteria may be allowed to multiply
• Keep all water and water systems clean and avoid the use of fixtures that may encourage the growth of bacteria
• Treat water where legionella or other bacteria may grow

Businesses should delegate a person or team to be responsible for the risk prevention and management of legionella. Alternatively it can be outsourced to a specialist company. For example Zeta Services provide legionella risk assessment