A risk assessment is an important step in protecting your workers and your business, as well as complying with the law - It is a legal requirement to have a Legionella risk assessment of all water systems. The Legionella risk assessment is usually carried out as a part of our Legionella risk management programme which helps manage the risk of Legionnaires' Disease. A risk assessment will have a significant impact on reducing liability should any problems occur.

Our Legionella risk assessments have been developed in accordance with current recommended practices and guidelines on the control of Legionella from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) ACoP L8. Following a site survey, our qualified and experienced risk assessors will produce a comprehensive report. The Legionella risk assessment report will identify any risks as well as any remedial action necessary to meet current standards and legal requirements. The report will also include a schematic drawing of your water system and a guide to complying with the Associated Code of Practice (ACoP L8).

The Legionella Risk Assessment will:

• Include a full asset register outlining exactly which on-site water systems fall within these guidelines.
• Outline the current condition of the water systems and whether the water storage is hygienic and compliant with the Water Supply (water fittings) Regulations 1999.
• Check whether water temperatures are satisfactory for the control of Legionella bacteria.
• Include digital photographs of assets.
• Include autocad schematic drawings of your water systems.
• Define any remedial actions required to achieve compliance with the guidelines.
• Provide a schedule for on-going water hygiene monitoring.
• Provide you, the customer, with a clear understanding of how the guidelines relate directly to your site and provide the documentation required by the HSE/HSC.

The assessment will review the physical condition of the services, their operation, the occupancy of the building and the effect that this will have on the potential for colonisation and dissemination of the Legionella organism to a susceptible population.

If the systems have not been fully assessed then the implementation of control measures and their effectiveness is uncertain as the condition and operation of the system is unknown.

Sampling under these circumstances merely confirms the presence or otherwise of the organism at a specific point in time, it does not provide any means of minimising the potential for colonisation and dissemination in the first instance, which is the thrust of the legislation. The assessment may highlight if some of this expenditure is better used elsewhere.

NOTE - A Legionella risk assessment is required regardless of the building size.

The assessment should be reviewed every two years or if the use, occupation, fabric of the services of the building or new legislation is introduced. This does not necessarily mean a completely new assessment be carried out, rather that it is reviewed in light of any changes and updated appropriately.

The assessment will then be the driving force in setting up a tailored planned preventative maintenance program for each site, which must be kept in a formal site logbook and regularly reviewed and maintained.

With regard to the requirement to carry out a risk assessment we would point you to the requirements from L8 advising that before maintenance procedures can be implemented a full and thorough assessment must be carried out.

Water systems to be assessed
APC can provide risk assessments for all types of applications including:

• Hot and cold water systems
• Plant and associated pipe work
• Cooling systems
• Domestic systems
• Wash systems
• Air conditioning systems
• Spas
• Showers
• Cooling tower systems
• Industrial processes

Contact APC to find out more about APCs Legionella Risk Assessment and Legionella Risk Management Services.