Legionella…how to keep your cool
The HSE and local authorities are currently engaged in a series of proactive inspections to ensure duty holders are managing the risk of legionella should they have control of cooling towers or evaporative condensers.
So if you have control of this kind of equipment what does this mean for you? Well the dangers from Legionella are well understood, but not as understood are the simple measures you can take to ensure your systems remain well maintained to reduce the risk of legionella developing and risk exposing your employees, visitors or members of the public to potentially deadly legionella bacteria.
By following these steps you can ensure you follow the law and official guidance:
- identifying and conducting a risk assessment of the sources of risk you have control of;
- preparing a legionella management scheme for preventing or controlling the risk;
- implementing, managing and monitoring precautions, such as chemical and biological checks;
- keeping records of the precautions; and
- appointing a senior person to be responsible for making sure that the above are in place.
Many organisations choose to contract out these duties to competent contractors who carry out a review of your systems, conduct a risk assessment and arrange for routine monitoring and inspection of application systems for you. However you can carry out this task in house, but you must ensure that your nominated person is suitably trained to carry out these duties.
If you require further help on this subject or other health and safety management matters please do not hesitate to contact ProAktive on 01302 341344.
By Simon Walsh CMIOSH