Legionella Risk Assessment in Edinburgh
If you think you might need a legionella risk assessment in Edinburgh, we have the experience, skills and equipment needed to ensure that your property is safe and compliant.
Legionella risk assessments are not just a regulatory checkbox – they are a critical safety measure which goes a long way to helping protect people from a potentially deadly threat. With Legionnaires’ disease carrying a fatality rate of around 10% in diagnosed cases, the bacteria lurking in everyday water systems pose a serious health risk to everyone.
It is the legal responsibility of all duty holders for commercial and public building premises to assess the water system’s risk of legionella and, where required, put in place the necessary legionella control measures. Failure to do so can not only put lives at risk but also result in serious consequences for those who fail to uphold their legal obligations, leading to fines, closure and even prosecution.
At Swiftclean, we carry out a number of comprehensive legionella services for a wide range of businesses, properties and premises across various industries. If you think you might need a legionella risk assessment in Edinburgh, we have the experience, skills and equipment needed to ensure that your property is safe and compliant.
Why Legionella Risk Assessments Matter
Legionella bacteria pose a significant health threat that cannot be overlooked by property owners, managers, duty holders and those who are responsible for a commercial building. These microorganisms naturally exist in freshwater environments but become dangerous when they colonise and multiply within building water systems.
Understanding the real risks
Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by inhaling small droplets of contaminated water. The bacteria thrive in water temperatures between 20°C and 45°C and can remain dormant in cool water, multiplying only when conditions become favourable. Furthermore, sediment, sludge, scale and biofilms within water systems provide ideal conditions for bacteria to grow and spread.
Legal requirements you must know
Under Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), as a landlord or property manager, you have clear legal responsibilities. These regulations establish a framework of actions to control risks from hazardous substances, including biological agents like Legionella.
The Approved Code of Practice (ACoP L8) provides specific guidance for those responsible for controlling premises. If a tenant were to contract Legionnaires’ disease from the water system in their home, you could face prosecution under HSWA and would need to demonstrate to a court that you fulfilled your legal duty.
Who is at greater risk?
The risk of Legionnaires’ disease should be considered higher for persons above 40 years of age, smokers and immune-compromised individuals. For these vulnerable groups, timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment are particularly important.
Benefits beyond compliance
Conducting legionella risk assessments offers numerous advantages beyond meeting regulatory requirements. These include:
- Identifying potential sources of bacteria within water systems
- Enabling targeted remediation efforts to be implemented promptly
- Preventing costly downtime and extensive decontamination processes
- Avoiding potential legal ramifications associated with contamination
Most importantly, prioritising these assessments demonstrates your commitment to safeguarding the health and well-being of everyone interacting with the premises’ water systems.
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Swiftclean commitment:
- FREE quotation/technical advice – Nationwide – call 0800 243 471
- Works carried out in accordance with the Legionella Control Association (LCA) code of conduct
- Risk Assessments and control schemes carried out to L8, BSRIA and CIBSE guidelines
- All works fully certified and legionella control log books provided
- Fully trained and directly employed staff
- Method Statements and Risk Assessments provided site specific as required
- Training for your own staff following risk assessment
What Happens During a Legionella Risk Assessment
The process of conducting a professional legionella risk assessment follows a systematic approach designed to thoroughly evaluate your water systems. Understanding what happens during this assessment helps property owners appreciate the thorough nature of this vital safety procedure.
The assessment generally unfolds in several key stages:
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Initial Inspection – Our qualified assessors perform a comprehensive evaluation of your water infrastructure and systems, identifying potential breeding grounds for Legionella bacteria. This inspection encompasses hot and cold storage supplies, all visible pipework, dead legs (sections of pipe where water stands idle), and any appliances connected to water supplies. Moreover, the assessors measure water temperatures at all outlets to ensure they meet required standards.
Risk Identification and Analysis – Next, the team will evaluate potential risks and determine necessary control measures. This involves checking that your system complies with current plumbing standards and ensuring hot and cold-water temperatures are at the correct levels. This stage is crucial for identifying areas where conditions might support bacterial growth.
Documentation and Reporting – Following the on-site assessment, a detailed report is produced highlighting findings and providing recommendations on works required to reduce legionella risks. This comprehensive documentation includes:
- An assessment of identified risks
- A complete asset register of water system components
- A legionella control programme for ongoing management
- A water system schematic diagram
This report serves as proof of compliance with legal requirements while offering practical guidance on remedial actions needed to achieve full compliance with HSE and ACOP L8 guidelines.
Our experienced assessors will provide clear explanations of their findings alongside helpful guidance on any recommended remedial actions, ensuring you fully understand both the risks identified and the steps needed to address them effectively.
Why You Should Invest in Professional Legionella Risk Assessment Services
Whilst it is possible in certain settings to carry out a legionella risk assessment yourself, there are many reasons why choosing to use a professional service is highly recommended. Here are just some of the reasons why you should consider utilising the services of a professional.
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- Expertise and Qualifications – Reputable assessors will not only be expertly trained and qualified but also hold years of experience in legionella control, making them extremely knowledgeable. This expertise far outweighs the abilities of those who may attempt to carry out their own risk assessments with little to no real understanding of legionella and what goes into ensuring a building is safe.
- Comprehensive Reporting – Not only does hiring a professional deliver peace of mind, but the right company will provide detailed explanations of findings alongside helpful guidance on recommended remedial actions as well as a control programme to follow for managing ongoing legionella risks.
- Cost Effective – Whilst the biggest reason for doing a legionella risk assessment in-house seems to be to save money, it can actually work out extremely cost-efficient to hire someone to take on this task.
- Local Knowledge – If you choose local providers, then they will have a better understanding of the regional water conditions and relevant local regulations.
- Compliance – The consequences of failing to meet the necessary laws and regulations can be severe, especially if someone were to fall ill as a result. By opting to work with professional assessors, you can ensure that all the legal requirements are met and that your property is safe and compliant.
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At Swiftclean, our team of dedicated experts are on hand to deliver comprehensive water hygiene services, covering everything from legionella risk assessments, compliance and testing to consultancy, cleaning and monitoring.
We understand the importance of legionella risk assessments and how they represent far more than simple regulatory compliance. They stand as essential safeguards protecting tenants and visitors from potentially deadly bacteria lurking in everyday water systems.
If you are in need of an Edinburgh legionella risk assessment and have any questions, then please do not hesitate to get in touch, and one of our friendly advisors will be happy to help.
More resources and best practice
What is a Legionella Risk Assesment?
A Legionella risk assessment is a tool used to identify the risk factors in a facility and determine interventions to help control the risks of Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionella assessment helps to evaluate and mitigate the risks and is also a legal requirement for employers; this includes the owners and operators of commercial buildings including social housing, facilities management, healthcare, hotels and many others. Owners and operators have a statutory duty to control the risk of legionella bacteria in water systems.
If the assessment suggests that remedial action is required, Swiftclean are able to undertake these tasks to help remove / reduce the risk of Legionella proliferation and exposure.
What is Legionella and What Causes It?
Legionnaires disease is a severe form of pneumonia – a lung inflammation caused by infection. The disease is normally contracted by inhalation, either in tiny droplets of water (aerosols), or in droplet nuclei (the particles left after the water has evaporated) contaminated with Legionella bacteria, direct into the lungs.
Legionella bacteria is widespread within natural water sources such as river, lakes and reservoirs. The bacteria may also be found in purpose-built water systems such as cooling towers, hot and cold water systems and spa pools. People can contract the illness by inhaling small droplets of water in the air containing the bacteria.
Outbreaks of Legionnaires disease often occur from exposure to the Legionella bacteria growing in purpose-built water systems where poor water condition allows for the proliferation of the legionella bacteria to dangerous levels. The disease cannot be spread from person to person – only by contaminated water being inhaled.
Legionella UK Specialists
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, owners and operators of all commercial premises (including: Social Housing, Facilities Management, Hotels & Stadiums, Healthcare, Education and many others) have a statutory duty to control the risk of legionella bacteria in water systems. This includes: identifying and assessing the sources of risk, preparing a scheme for preventing or controlling the risk, appointing a person to be managerially responsible, implementing and managing precautions and keeping records of the precautions implemented.
Swiftclean can conduct a Legionella Risk Assessment, which will identify the level of risk within your property.
Is It A Legal Requirement to Have A Legionella Risk Assessment?
There is a legal duty in place to assess and control the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria, especially for commercial businesses, including hotels, spas, schools and social housing.
This assessment should be considered a ‘living document’ and reviewed regularly and/or whenever there is reason to believe that the original assessment may no longer be valid. This may be because of:
- changes to the water system or its use;
- changes to the use of the building in which the system is installed;
- the availability of new information about risks or control measures;
- the results of checks indicate that control measures are no longer effective.
- changes to key personnel
- a case of legionnaires disease associated with the system
Legionella Risk Assessment for Landlords
Landlords are under a duty to ensure that the risk of exposure to tenants, residents and visitors to Legionella is properly assessed and controlled. Health and safety legislation requires Landlords to carry out risk assessments and maintain control measures to minimise the risk.
Property managers or individuals responsible for the control of Legionella bacteria should ensure a safe and disease-free environment. The law is clear that if you are a landlord and rent out your property (or even a room within your own home) then you have legal responsibilities to ensure that the property is kept safe from health hazards. The requirement stems from the COSHH Regulations, which require the control of substances hazardous to health, bacteria being included; Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety Work Act 1974 to make provisions for the legislation to apply to landlords of both business and domestic premises.
Landlord Risk Assessment Details
A Landlord’s risk assessment provided by Swiftclean will include the following details:
- Potential sources of risk
- Any controls in place to control risks
- Procedures for monitoring, inspecting and maintaining
- Records of the monitored results, inspections and checks carried out
- Arrangements to review the risk assessment regularly
Why Choose Swiftclean?
If you manage a water system within a building and you require a risk assessment with control measures in place – Swiftclean are here to help.
We are known for being hassle-free, reliable and competitively priced. With a Legionella risk assessment from Swiftclean, you can help to prevent the deadly disease and rest easy knowing that professional measures are in place to help keep your business safe.
Our team of engineers will carry out comprehensive Legionella testing, tailor an action plan to your business and provide a written review to ensure that your business is compliant to the industry standards.
Whatever your needs, get in touch with Swiftclean today. We’re here to provide advice and cost-effective Legionella risk assessments and management to companies of all sizes in the UK.
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease can be a potentially fatal disease, caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water containing the bacterium Legionella pneumophila and related bacteria. Man-made hot and cold water systems are likely, if conditions deteriorate, to provide an environment where Legionella can grow, so it’s important to ensure your water systems are safe and not at risk of developing this fatal bacteria.
How much does a risk assessment cost?
The price of a risk assessment will differ depending on the size of the premises, how many water systems there are and whether it’s for domestic or commercial use. Contact us today for your FREE, no obligation quote.
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Please call us or email info@swiftclean.co.uk for further advice and a free quote.
