Despite the number of people asking about legionella testing, many of them aren’t actually sure what they’re asking for or why they need it!

That is why we’re here to try and help you understand whether your business can carry out this test or not.

Typically this confusion comes from a lack of knowledge in the area of water hygiene. While business owners and individuals alike know they have a responsibility to maintain this, it is rare that business owners have an understanding of water hygiene let alone the technicalities of it, so you’re not alone! Let us guide you through it.

Firstly, it is important to understand the difference between monitoring water systems for anomalies and for bacteria growth and analysing water samples scientifically in a lab.

Is a Legionella Risk Assessment required as a business owner?

The Health and Safety at Work Act (1974) does require business owners to “ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, clients, patients, customers, contractors, visitors and others”. Part of this safety measure does involve the safe maintenance of water including carrying out a Legionella risk assessment for your business. How thorough this assessment has to be is dependent on how large and/or complex your system is.

What is a Legionella Risk Assessment?

On the back of a Legionella risk assessment, your business will be recommended to monitor the system’s conditions on an ongoing basis. Some people will misinterpret this for testing itself. Monitoring includes reviewing temperature fluctuations in line with maintenance and inspections. However, this aspect does not include legionella testing directly. 

Because of this, certain situations do require lab based testing of your water, albeit rare, these circumstances include:

• If you have spa facilities
• Your water is privately supplied
• If your building contains a cooling tower
• Your business or building contains high risk individuals
• If your water system has a suspected or confirmed outbreak
• Or if Legionella testing is deemed necessary by observers

If it is essential your premises must undertake this type of testing, you need to understand from where and how often such samples should be collected. Unfortunately this is not a one size fits all answer. However, we can say that samples should be collected following strict guidance from the official framework and should go on to be analysed at an independent lab that is UKAS approved. 

Can a Legionella Risk Assessment give you the full picture?

Unfortunately not. It is important to remember that such results are just a snapshot of your wider water system as the sample size is likely to be small. It is unlikely that you will collect any bacteria in your sample even if your water system is infected due to its size. 

Therefore, it is more important that you have a well designed, operated and maintained water system that is compliant with legal requirements as opposed to relying on small samples to let you know if your system is legionella free. Professional Legionella risk assessments are available through companies like ourselves to help put your mind at ease and comply with legal requirements at all times.

Hopefully this article has highlighted how Legionella testing is carried out and what the necessary requirements are for your business. If you have any more questions feel free to contact us.

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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.

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In the UK, clean drinking water is something that’s often taken for granted.

While it is the norm in most offices and business premises, there are processes behind treating this water. There is also a responsibility from the premises owner to ensure water is continuously safe for drinking and for all other purposes. This is where water testing comes in.

Why should we test water?

It is a legal responsibility to maintain water quality for anyone using your building. Because of this, many landlords and business owners carry out regular water testing. This allows them to:

• Ensure they legally comply with regulations
• Have safe drinking water in their premises
• Ensure their water testing is effective
• Monitor any treatment changes over time

What influences safe drinking water?

Safe drinking water is non-negotiable in an office or business premises. There are several factors which mean water isn’t safe to drink. Therefore, water quality should be regularly monitored in these settings. The main factors include:

Bacteria

E.coli is a microbe found in water that can cause humans harm. The presence of E.coli in water indicates that pathogens are also present in the water system. Most commonly these pathogens would include Legionella, Salmonella or Hepatitis A. Some people are at more of a risk against pathogens than others, these include children, older people or those with weak immune systems.

Old pipes

Pipes that have had more use are more likely to have collected rust or scale. Because of this, they may begin to break down and release particles of iron, hydrogen or phosphate into the water. If this happens it enables bacteria to multiply.

Rigidity of the water system

If pipes in the water system are weak or have leaks, this can cause bacteria to cling to these surfaces. Also, if water tanks make up some part of the system, this can also lead to an increase in microbes.

Water storage conditions

The source of water and how it is stored can largely affect its quality. Water storage temperature is an example of this. If the water system is poorly designed, the temperature of the water may rise or cool to match that outside. This increases the risk of pathogens in the water.

What should you test for?

There are a number of microbes that could reside in a water system therefore it is important to test regularly. The main test should include:

• Total viable count (TVC) – this is an estimate of how many microorganisms are in the water, in turn determining its overall water quality.
• Legionella and Pseudomonas testing.
• The water’s physical and chemical makeup.

How is water tested?

How to test your water systems largely depends on the complexity of the system and the tests you need to carry out. Some tests sure as temperature checks can be done easily with a thermometer. However, most tests involve taking a sample and sending it to a lab in a specific set of conditions for testing.

A simple process is followed even for laboratory testing. A water hygiene company will collect samples from the water system on site. Then the sample will be transported to a lab and you will receive the results along with guidance on their outcomes.

How often should water testing take place?

The frequency of water testing from your system should be evaluated according to the apparent risk. For example, quarterly checks are recommended for Legionella testing; however, this could be more frequently depending on your latest Legionella Risk Assessment.

Water testing is a very important aspect of any water treatment programme. Even if water looks clean, chemical contamination can be colourless and odourless. It is also a requirement to keep your employees or building users safe.

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