The two-year risk assessment review frequency, outlined by the HSE, was removed from guidance in 2013 which meant the process for reviewing legionella risk assessments needed to be re-established. 

 The objective of this article is to provide a more detailed overview of the importance of getting your legionella risk assessment right. There are a variety of types of risk assessment, it is important your risk assessment is carried out professionally and correctly in accordance with HSE guidance.

This group, the ‘water safety group’ [WSG], isn’t a new idea! The concept of the WSG was first outlined in the Department of Health’s HTM04-01 addendum and the subsequent revision of the HTM04-01 in 2016 provided updated guidance on the remit and aims of the group.

Landlords have a legal responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their tenants by keeping property safe and free from health hazards.

The likelihood of Legionella bacteria being present within domestic or other water systems, typically comes as no surprise to all those who have an involvement with water safety. As we know, Legionella bacteria remain ubiquitous in the natural and constructed aquatic environments and it is also true that airborne dispersal of the bacteria may well occur when aerosols or droplet nuclei are created. 

In recent months there have been numerous published cases of Legionnaires’ disease associated with hotels:

• Hotel closed after legionella bacteria found in water
• Legionella found again at Ludlow's The Feathers Hotel

The question must be, why does Legionnaires’ disease occur in hotels and what should hoteliers be doing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of their guests who’ve checked in…?

As an AP, you've just come across this installation - what don't you like about it?

Temperature control is widely recognised as the traditional means to reduce the risk of Legionella within domestic hot and cold water systems. The correct method for taking a temperature from an outlet is important to demonstrate that a temperature control strategy is compliant.  

As discussed in Part 1, temperature has limited effectiveness when treating biofilm bacteria (especially mature biofilm) but colonisation of a system with biofilm bacteria may (in the main) be avoided should water temperature be kept within specification and the water within the system kept in regular movement/turned over. Moreover, when outlets test positive for bacteria of ‘human importance’, it’s first of all important to question ‘why’ and to ascertain to what extent the water system has been compromised (ie, how big is the loss of control…?).  

Water undertakers have a responsibility to ensure that ‘wholesome’ water is delivered to the point of entry of buildings, this does not necessarily mean that such waters are free from microorganisms. Moreover, whilst drinking water should be free from parasites (cryptosporidium) and faecal contaminants (coliforms/E. coli), it’s common for wholesome water to contain aquatic bacteria, as such bacteria make-up the ‘normal’ microbiology of drinking water. Therefore, bacteria such as Pseudomonas and Legionella live preferentially in the environment and these soil-derived bacteria frequently reside within water supplied to buildings.