When we think of health and safety measures, we often think of fire, electrical or trip hazards. However, a hazard many of us may not think about is how safe is the water in your business.
Legionella bacteria are organisms that live in a multitude of environments, however, most commonly, they are found in water supplies that have the right conditions that allow them to grow and survive, such as water tanks, spas, hot tubs and evaporative condensers.
What is the risk?
Everyone is susceptible to Legionnaires’ disease, however, there are some individuals who present a higher risk than others:
- Those over the age of 45
- Heavy drinkers and smokers
- Individuals suffering from chronic respiratory issues, kidney disease or struggle with an impaired immune system
It should be a priority to educate those in your workplace about risk they may have to Legionnaires’ disease, as well as what to look for to ensure that any signs of disease are reported immediately to be reviewed, recorded and sorted.
How do I know if I have Legionella in my water system?
Within your business you may have purpose-built water systems such as taps, cooling towers, evaporative condensers or spas. These are all systems that should be regularly maintained and reviewed to ensure that they do not become breeding grounds for Legionella. There are simple checks you can do to ensure that these systems do not provide the correct environment for Legionella to grow in which include making sure:
- Water tanks don’t sit between 20-45 degrees
- Water systems aren’t stagnant or being re-circulated
- Water systems, including hot tubs and pools are clean, so they do not produce rust, scale, sludge or more bacteria
- Hose pipes in the shade and run after use
- Toilets are flushed and showers are run at high temperatures often
Maintaining a high level of cleanliness, alongside reviewing these environments allows you to be assured that Legionella is unlikely to be circulating within your system. However, it is still imperative that you check for it regardless.
Who manages the risk?
Within your corporation there should be an individual assigned to ensuring that all health and safety regulations are being maintained and checked. This can be either yourself, a colleague or an external contractor. However, if you choose to use an external party to regulate the health and safety within your building, you should still have a knowledgeable person in charge to ensure these checks are taking place to a high standard.
What to do if you find Legionella?
If found, there are a few ways to get rid of Legionella. The easiest way to do so is to raise the temperature of the water to above 50 degrees, as this will ensure that all bacteria is killed within a matter of hours. However, if possible, heating the water to above 60 degrees will eradicate the bacteria within a matter of minutes. There are also other ways to eradicate and control the growth of the bacteria depending on your budget as well as the type of water and environment in which it is in.
Chlorine
There are three main chlorine products which can be used:
- Chlorine
- Chlorine Dioxide
- Monochloramine
Each of these chlorine products are distributed slightly different depending on the scale of infection, however, are all successful in the eradication of the bacteria.
Ultraviolet Irradiation
UV radiation should be used in conjunction with a chemical disinfectant, such as chlorine to fully get rid of any residual Legionella, as its radiation only damages the organism, rather than killing it completely.
Flushing
Flushing your water systems is a simple way of ensuring your water is constantly moving and dis-lodging any bacteria that is beginning to grow.
Copper-Silver Ionisation
If you are looking for a cost-friendly way of controlling Legionella, copper-silver ionisation is strong alternative as it stops the cells from growing and taking in nutrients to multiply. Moreover, it is low maintenance.
If found, you must take all the necessary steps to kill the bacteria and then document where and when it was found, followed by who oversaw health and safety regulations, any findings from the assessment, what you did to control the incident and any relevant dates. If you have more than five employees, it is key that you record who found the incident.
Following this, you must inform your local authority of any evaporative condensers of cooling towers within the vicinity and their location. You can find the form in the local environmental health department. This is to inform them of when and if they are no longer in use.
Legionella risk should not be neglected when observing your health and safety measures.
Get in touch if you need help controlling and monitoring the risk of Legionella in your business.
