WATER HYGIENE
a small building with no water storage tanks, where the cold water comes directly from the mains and hot water is fed directly from instantaneous or low volume water heaters at around 50°C, then there is very little risk of exposure to individuals. Here, the only source of risk is from toilets and hand washbasins.
“Although everyone is susceptible to the risk of infection, the likelihood is exacerbated with age and in
people with weaker immune systems.”
If you are low risk, you don’t need to take further control action. You simply need to perform a regular risk assessment, document the process, and review it when changes are made to the system.
For businesses operating in anything other than a small building, for example if you’re running a multi story care home facility, the risk is much higher. Facilities that have more complex water systems need to create an asset register; a schematic diagram of the system highlighting deadlegs - lengths of pipework where water can stagnate - and identifying possible sources of contamination as well as assessing current disinfection and treatment methods.
A water system includes all the equipment and installed components such as pipes, pumps, feedtanks, showers, heat exchangers, storage tanks, water softeners, chillers and humidifiers to name just a few. These kinds of setups are conducive to stagnant water temperatures
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between 20-45°C in water sources, which can lead to spray and legionella laden aerosols.
As a business, it’s often easy to overlook the fact that although the mains utility has a responsibility to provide a bacteria-free water supply, once the mains supply enters the building at the ball valve, even small amounts of bacteria can quickly multiply. Pipes under buildings and facilities are often decades old, containing rust, slime and microbiological films. These are perfect environments for legionella to thrive.
Stress Free For many facilities, it can become a nightmare to take control of this process. Although temperature- based monitoring is straightforward, many businesses simply don’t have the expertise to deal with the more complex control methods that include chemical dosing and water treatment. Luckily, the regulations make it permissible for businesses to appoint a competent authority to manage the assessment and control of legionella.
When it comes to water treatment, it’s important to select the right chemicals. Whether its chlorine, bromine or any oxidising biocide, understanding contact time, system water-turnover rates and half-life are essential in developing a sustainable long term treatment plan. It’s also more cost effective to outsource the site-survey assessment and monitoring to an expert that really understands how to keep your business compliant.
The new rules are certainly clearer in defining the responsibility of businesses when it comes to mitigating the risks of legionella exposure. While at first this may seem daunting, with the right help and use of control methods, businesses can not only comply with the law but also become examples of best practice.
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