The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems – approved code of practice and guidance published

Citation

(2001), "The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems – approved code of practice and guidance published", Facilities, Vol. 19 No. 7/8. https://doi.org/10.1108/f.2001.06919gab.010

The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems – approved code of practice and guidance published

The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems – approved code of practice and guidance published

Keyword: Health and safety

The Health & Safety Commission (HSC) recently published an Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and guidance – Legionnaires' Disease: The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems. This single publication replaces three earlier ones – the 1995 ACoP (L8), the technical guidance (HSG70), and the hot and cold water supplement to the technical guidance (MISC 150). This has allowed information to be consolidated, with the aim of making it easier to read and understand the duties under the law.

The main changes to the ACoP and guidance include:

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  new guidance on the requirement for getting competent advice;

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  new guidance on the duties on suppliers of goods and services;

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  references to a voluntary code of conduct for the water treatment industry; and

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  a recommendation that routine sampling of cooling towers for Legionella is carried out, on a quarterly basis, together with guidance on what action to take when Legionella is detected in such systems.

The new document also incorporates the findings of recent research funded by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and others to assess the efficacy of new and alternative control strategies. The document also outlines how such strategies can be used safely and effectively.

Tony Bandle, head of the HSE's Biological Agents Technology Division, said: "Legionnaires' Disease, to a large extent, is a product of man's built environment and as such we need to take appropriate action to reduce exposure to the Legionella bacteria, that are responsible for this disease. This substantially revised ACoP and guidance provides a practical approach to the effective management and control of Legionella, which is anchored in sound and robust science and engineering. It has resulted from much hard work and a strong partnership between the HSE and a wide range of interests, including public interest groups. It is through a continuation of this partnership that the desired outcome of controlling exposure to Legionella bacteria, will be achieved."

To complement the ACoP and guidance a short and simple free leaflet has been produced: Legionnaires' Disease: A Guide for Employers – IAC27 (rev. 2). The leaflet is aimed at employers who manage premises with hot/cold water services and/or cooling systems (e.g. cooling towers and evaporative condensers).

Copies of The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems: Approved Code of Practice and Guidance, ISBN 0 7176 1772 6, price £8.00, Ref. L8; are available from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA. Tel: +44 (0) 1787 881165 or Fax: +44 (0) 1787 313995. Priced publications are also available from good booksellers. You can also order this document online (www.hsebooks.gov.uk).