Legionella Risk Assessment
Identification and evaluation of sources of potential risk
Means by which exposure is to be prevented
Means by which exposure is to be controlled
Fundamental to the development of an effective management system
Must be suitable and sufficient
What constitutes suitable and sufficient?
Legionella Risk Assessment
Legionnaires’ disease The control of legionella bacteria in water
systems ACoP and Guidance (L8)
– Very limited in detail relating to risk assessment content – No clear level of expectation for clients– Variability in risk assessment quality– Increased risk of Legionnaires’ disease
Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease are often associated with
inadequate risk assessment
BS 8580:2010 Code of Practice
BS 8580:2010 Water quality - Risk Assessment for LegionellaControl, Code of Practice
Factors to be considered in the risk assessment– Contamination – Amplification– Transmission– Exposure– Host Susceptibility
Preparations for risk assessment– Competence of risk assessor– Agreeing terms of reference– Independence.
BS 8580:2010 Code of Practice
Desktop appraisal of documentation– Previous risk assessment– Current scheme of control– Maintenance and testing records– Action log– Management responsibilities
Site visit/survey– Review of schematics– Visual inspection– Measurements– Sampling?
BS 8580:2010 Code of Practice
Risk assessment reporting– Clear and concise– Formal document– Clear identification of hazard– Clear recommendations– Timescales
Risk review
Key Points from BS 8580:2010
A clearly defined process for risk assessment
Competency of the assessor
Independence
- Impartiality
- Integrity
BS 8580:2010
Provides clear levels of expectation for:
- Clients
- Providers
- Enforcement
Raise quality standards
Reduce incidences of Legionnaires’ disease
UKAS accreditation.
Management Scheme
An appropriate management scheme will include:
Responsibility list
Parameters of the system to be maintained ie. temperatures, flow rates, biocide levels etc…
Testing and inspection schedule
Testing and inspection procedures
Testing and inspection results
Details of actions to take with out of specification results
Training certification
Management System Auditing
Don’t assume that the system is being followed Bulmers Cider outbreak 2003 (26 cases and 2 deaths) Responsible person Independent third party
Areas of focus
Completion of monitoring/inspection tasks Out of specification results Supporting certification eg. Legionella tests Verification of results by inspection
Summary
Safe working environment
Ensure water is fit for purpose
Minimise downtime
Avoid prosecution