Gas Safe Heating and Plumbing Ltd can carry out Legionella assessments for both domestic landlords and employers in Sidcup, or the responsible person at larger premises.
If you are an employer, or someone in control of premises, including landlords, you must understand the health risks associated with legionella. Carrying out a risk assessment is your responsibility. You may be competent to carry out the assessment yourself but, if not, you should call us for help and advice.
You or the person responsible for managing risks, need to understand your water systems, the equipment associated with the system such as pumps, heat exchangers, showers etc, and its constituent parts. Identify whether they are likely to create a risk from exposure to legionella, and whether:
The water temperature in all or some parts of the system is between 20–45 °C
Water is stored or re-circulated as part of your system
There are sources of nutrients such as rust, sludge, scale, organic matter and biofilms
The conditions are likely to encourage bacteria to multiply
It is possible for water droplets to be produced and, if so, whether they can be dispersed over a wide area, e.g. showers and aerosols from cooling towers
It is likely that any of your employees, residents, visitors etc. are more susceptible to infection due to age, illness, a weakened immune system etc. and whether they could be exposed to any contaminated water droplets
You must carry out a legionella risk assessment every 2 years to prevent anyone from getting Legionnaires’ disease. Most rented domestic premises are at low risk of legionella, but the disease is a potentially fatal, pneumonia type disease.
Our risk assessment includes:
Management responsibilities, including the name of the competent person and a description of your system
Competence and training of key personnel
Any identified potential risk sources
Any means of preventing the risk or controls in place to control risks
Monitoring, inspection and maintenance procedures
Records of the monitoring results and inspection and checks carried out
Arrangements to review the risk assessment regularly, particularly when there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid
If you want more information, here are a few links to the HSE website:
