Legionella: What HSE Says You Need to Know

Posted 10 years ago

With the upcoming release of our Legionella Awareness course, we took a little time at the beginning of the month to explore what Legionella is, and why it’s important we understand its potential threat to our health.

For those of you who are not familiar with Legionella, is is essentially the group of bacteria responsible for a plethora of diseases; the most severe of which is Legionnaires’ disease. Legionella bacteria are naturally occurring in lakes and reservoirs, however their entry into man-made water systems such as air conditioning units and cooling towers can signal problems, as bacteria thrive in stagnant, warm conditions and can go on to cause serious health problems if not appropriately dealt with.

When it comes to your responsibility, all employers or persons in charge of a premises (landlords, for example) have a duty of care to understand and manage the potential health risks posed to your employees, tenants, or anyone else living or working within the building. The HSE states the following with regard to the management of Legionella bacteria:

“Duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) extend to risks from legionella bacteria, which may arise from work activities. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSWR) provide a broad framework for controlling health and safety at work. More specifically, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) provide a framework of actions designed to assess, prevent or control the risk from bacteria like Legionella and take suitable precautions.”

You can also take a look at The Approved Code of Practice: Legionnaires’ disease: The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems (L8) here. In a nutshell, as the person responsible for managing or maintaining the building, you must be able to:

Identify and assess the severity of any sources of risk
Take appropriate steps to manage any risks that may be present
Prevent risks occurring wherever possible
Keep and ensure to maintain the correct records pertaining to this kind of risk

If you are working within a business, school or commercial property that uses internal water systems, you should be taking steps to ensure you’re covered when it comes to Legionella. Our Legionella Awareness course is the perfect, concise online tool to get your training and risk assessment needs sorted.

If you would like to learn more about Legionella Bacteria, where it is found and Legionnaires Disease then visit the Legionella Hub for more information.