legionnaires disease

Legionella testing: How often should water be tested?

How often should Legionella testing be carried out?

The frequency of legionella testing is determined by your most recent Water Hygiene Risk Assessment. Whether you’re the landlord or property manager, whoever is looking after the business premises is responsible for ensuring this is up to date. How often legionella testing is recommended can vary between risk assessments, therefore a good guide to work on is around every six months. As well as this an annual sample is recommended on commercial buildings.

Legionella testing recommendations from Health & Safety England.

Although the above can be used as guidance, the legal requirements may differ slightly depending on where your commercial building is located, its size and its frequency of use. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had outlined several instances where a Legionella test must take place. These include:

If the hot and cold water system has suspected inefficiencies.
If hot water and cold water are not always kept at optimum temperatures.
If there is any doubt about disinfectant concentrations in the water.
If the responsible person has deemed the water hygiene system high risk.

What does Legionella testing legislation say?

There are several pieces of legislation regarding Legionella testing. The ACoP L8 “The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems” and The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) both provide advice on legionella testing frequency. These documents exist to allow business owners and property managers to adhere to somewhat strict requirements in water hygiene.

As well as Legionella specific guidance, these pieces of legislation include frequency of water hygiene risk assessments in workplace settings.

Which type of buildings are subject to regular Legionella testing?

There are many types of building and premises that should have Legionella testing carried out more than a typical domestic property. These tend to include commercial buildings that uses water for transactional purposes.

If you are the business owner or property manager of any of the below businesses, you must stay up to date with relevant Legionella testing. These buildings include:

Gyms and workout facilities
Swimming pools
Leisure centres and spa facilities
Hotels and holiday rentals
Retail buildings
Office blocks and business settings
Doctors surgeries and hospitals
Factories and warehouses

Can a business owner complete Legionella testing?

Depending on the complexity of your premises, it may be possible for yourself or a responsible person to complete your business’ Legionella testing. However it is commonly recommended to instruct a water hygiene specialist.

This allows water hygiene screenings and Legionella testing to be completed by an expert. This expert can then follow up on any further required testing and risk assessment outcomes. When a water hygiene specialist, such as Aquastat, carries out your testing, you also have a peace of mind that your water systems meet current legal requirements.

Legionnaires’ disease: why water management is key in prevention

Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal infection similar to pneumonia that is caused by Legionella bacteria.

This type of bacteria is found in most natural water sources and can be airborne through water droplets. However, in man-made water systems the conditions are optimal for Legionella, therefore growing and spreading.

This is a cause for concern in any business containing a water system and rightly so. With its potentially fatal effects, Legionella should be tested regularly. Water management is the key to protecting your workforce and users of your buildings.

Is Legionella testing a legal requirement?

There are several pieces of legislation laid out to help building owners or their designated ‘responsible person’ to understand their obligations. These pieces of legislation include:

The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974
The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
Approved Code of Practice: Legionnaires Disease (ACoP L8)

What is the most important guidance?

Whilst all of these pieces of legislation are relevant. The last one (Approved Code of Practice: Legionnaires Disease (ACoP L8)) is the most appropriate to follow when managing Legionella risks. Employers and business owners should make themselves familiar with the guidance it provides.

The ACoP L8 helps through managing water to comply with legal obligations including:

Assessing water system risks
Managing associated risk
Implementing and monitoring precautionary methods
Documenting said methods

What must I do as the responsible person?

As a business owner you can manage this process yourself (if sufficiently trained and qualified). Alternatively, you can nominate a ‘responsible person’. This person can be an employee or an external water hygiene specialist.

The key contact in preventing Legionnaires disease must complete a formal assessment (in line with BS 8580:2010) of the site which includes water storage and water transport systems. You can read more about this here. They must also create a Legionella risk management plan that documents how to reduce or remove any risks of Legionella in water systems.

How can good water management prevent Legionnaires’ disease?

As a bare minimum, there must be temperature checks put in place to minimise spread of this microbe. Legionella bacteria have optimal conditions between 20–45°C, therefore water should be below 20°C or above 60°C (to ensure it remains dormant).

Other water management controls to prevent Legionella growth or spread include:

Distributing hot water only as a temperature of 50°C or above
Routine checks of storage and distribution temperatures
Regularly flushed and descaled shower and bathing equipment
Biocide treatments for tricky areas such as cooling towers
Frequent water testing and analysis

How to minimise the risk of Legionnaires disease?

There are several methods of maintaining a low level of Legionella, therefore decreasing the risk of Legionnaires disease developing in the vulnerable. The main things include:

Removing any corrosion in water transport systems such as pipes
Recycling the water that has been in the system too long
Removing any unused pipes that debris could build up in
Checking for a build-up of biofilm as this creates better conditions for the bacteria
Regularly dosing the system with a biocide

From this we hope you can appreciate that there is no one-size-fits-all in protecting against Legionnaires disease. However, managing water effectively can increase the changes of ensuring your water system is safe.

Your building’s responsible person must follow the guidance in the appropriate legislation to ensure they are doing as much as they can to prevent Legionella bacteria and save lives.

Water hygiene: leisure centres and gyms

Water hygiene is one of the most important considerations when it comes to the smooth running of swimming pool facilities in leisure centres and gyms.

In addition to smooth running, there are also legal procedures that should be followed to ensure the facility is suitable for public use. This guidance is laid out by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

What are the legal restrictions of water hygiene?

Duty holders for these facilities must comply with the HSE’s ACoP L8 and hold HSG274 supporting documents. This ensures the responsible people have the knowledge and documentation to comply with legal domestic water system regulations. Following this, the Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group also lays out quality standards that spas and pools alike must follow. These guidelines are supported by the HSE’s HSG282.

Pool hygiene isn’t the only important area of water hygiene…

As well as maintaining standards of swimming pools, many other gym facilities involve water and therefore also demand its safe upkeep. Examples include spas, drinking fountains and hot tubs. The same level of pool hygiene should be applied to these facilities also. This is particularly crucial as these areas – if untreated – act as breeding ground for legionella bacteria.

How does poor water hygiene cause legionnaire’s disease?

A build up of legionella bacteria can develop into legionnaire’s disease in humans, which causes nasty symptoms. Therefore, it is crucial that any water tanks and pools are thoroughly cleaned and treated to prevent this disease.

Legionella is a natural bacterium that is organically found in natural water systems such as lakes as well as man-made water systems such as reservoirs. It typically breeds in conditions between 20*C and 45*C. Because of this is has previously been recommended that water systems are kept at 60*C, however, more recent research has demonstrated that some waterbourne bacteria such as Legionella can actually survive at this temperature also…

Therefore, now the HSE advises to keep water stores below 20*C at lower temperatures. However, this must include a water-system that is well maintained and has copper silver ionisation. The reason for the newly recommended lower temperature is that the colder conditions decrease the activity of the bacteria. The copper silver ionisation is also recommended to control the bacteria on a more chemical level.

Which other water systems need consideration?

As well as previously mentioned water coolers and spas, the water hygiene in showers in commercial areas should also be considered. Due to the number of people using showers pre and post workout or swim, this makes them another key area for legionella to spread.

Gyms and leisure centres should install water treatment methods that are reliable and hygienically proven. Then these systems should be thoroughly maintained to ensure a good level of hygiene in line with legislation.

We hope this gives you a good understanding of water hygiene and why it is necessary as well as the key risk areas in which Legionella can spread.