Legionella
 

 

 

 

Combating Legionella Checklist
 
The HSE Approved Code of Practice " The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems" known as L8 was released and came into force on the 8th January 2001. This new document amalgamates the two previous documents and has allowed existing information to be consolidated and new information to be added. A need to revise the previous documents arose because industry standards and working practices seeking to control legionella have continued to evolve; our understanding of the disease process and the microbiology of the primary causative organism, Legionella pneumophila, has also further advanced
 
Consequently, many of the revisions are intended to amplify detail rather than change concepts. Crucial amongst these concepts is that it is not the absence (or presence) of legionella in a single sample that is significant but the existence of the circumstances that could lead to rapid proliferation of the organism to hazardous levels.
 
A preventative strategy must therefore be in place.
 
1/Risk Assessment
 
Have you identified and assessed sources of risk of Legionella within the water systems at your premises ?
 
2/Responsible Person
 
Have you appointed a person to be managerially responsible to oversee the Legionella control regime ?
 
3/Monitoring/Control Tasks
 

Services

Task

Frequency

   

Little uses outlets

Outlets that are infrequently used need to be flushed.

Weekly

 

 

Hot & Cold Water Services

(tap outlets)

Monitor sentinel water temperature at sentinel hot & cold water outlets – (nearest & furthest from cold water storage tanks & hot water cylinders

Monthly

     

Hot & Cold Water Services

(tap outlets)

Monitor all other hot & cold water outlets

Annually

     

Shower Heads/Taps

Inspect the condition of shower heads/taps and descale as necessary

Quarterly

     

Cold Water Storage Tanks

Inspect the internal condition of the tank, the water surface should have a ‘shiny’ appearance which will indicate a good turnover of water. The internal condition of the tank/s should be free from scale, algae and sediment, if any of these conditions are present cleaning and disinfection should be undertaken.

Annually

     

Cold Water Storage Tanks

Monitor the water temperature of the tank

Bi-Annual

     

Calorifiers

Hot water cylinders should be blown down and if possible inspected internally for scale.

Annual

     

Review (Regime)

Review all monitoring & control works that have been undertaken to see if regime is effective

Annual

     

Audit (Regime)

Audit logbook paperwork

Annual

 
 
 
To download this Combating Legionella Checklist