Can you spot the issue in this photo? - Feel free to comment below on any problems you spot and we'll get right back to you.

 With the Easter holidays approaching many people will be thinking of getting away for a few days. However, European statistics indicate that more than 1000 travellers contract the disease each year and according to the official statistics published by Public Health England, travel associated Legionnaires’ disease accounted for approximately 43% of all confirmed cases reported in England and Wales over the three year period from 2014 to 2016. 

In this blog we explain what a TVC sample is, what the results mean and when a TVC sample can help inform on water safety…

TVC stands for ‘total viable count’, a laboratory test that indicates the level of heterotrophic organisms within a sample. Heterotrophs are a large group of organisms that can be further divided into fungi, yeasts, moulds and bacteria. Therefore, the results of a TVC test may offer an indication into the ‘general level’ of contamination within a system.

We are very pleased to announce that we are expanding our team with the arrival of two new members of staff - a new Authorising Engineer [Water] and Business Development Executive!

In January 2019, BSI Standards Limited released the new, updated ‘BS 8580-1:2019 Water Quality – Risk Assessments for Legionella Control – Code of Practice’. This blog is designed to help the duty holder, employer, responsible person or purchaser of risk assessments understand what the standard is and what features your risk assessment should include, it is neither a critique nor a summary of its content.

We are pleased to announce that we have just added a new page to our website with the answers to the questions we get asked the most from our clients and during our training courses. This page
will help you understand, in more depth, how to better manage water hygiene and waterborne pathogens.

If we’re to control the ‘chain of infection’ we must first understand what it entails so that we can identify what is within our control.  In doing so, this may enable us to devise and implement an effective ‘preventative management strategy’ in order to mitigate the risk of infection and subsequent disease.

Spa pools, hot tubs, whirlpool baths and other similar spa-systems have found steadily increasing popularity over many years now in the UK and are now priced so that they are an achievable aspirational product for the home, having long been available in hotels, leisure centres etc.  So how can they be managed safely?

There are some interesting occurrences in this picture.  The focus being the flow off a calorifier, but what is the grey pipe all about?  If you've an idea please use the comment box below to post your answers and we will get back to you shortly.

Back in 2018 ITV reported on the closure of the  Grade II listed Ramada Hall Hotel after Legionella bacteria was found in water samples.

Another article was published in 2017 by the BBC about a fatal Legionella outbreak at the Feathers Hotel* in Ludlow where a 60-year-old hotel guest had died after contracting Legionnaires' disease. Legionella was found again at the same hotel in 2018.