What happens at a Legionella Risk Assessment?
It’s not uncommon for independent clubs, youth organisations and places of worship (and even some small businesses and private landlords) not to realise that they need to have a current Legionella risk assessment.
Why do you need a Legionella risk assessment?
If your building is open to the public, or you have five or more employees or tenants, you have a legal duty to protect them by controlling or preventing Legionella. Legionella is a potentially harmful bacteria, which causes a pneumonia-like illness, known as Legionnaires’ Disease. This can be debilitating for otherwise healthy people but can prove fatal for anyone who is particularly vulnerable. This might include very young children, elderly people, or those with an underlying health problem.
When you discover for the first time that your property needs a Legionella Risk Assessment, it can seem a dauting prospect. However, the reality is quite straightforward and can be reassuring.
So, what should you expect?
On the agreed date, one of our friendly technicians will arrive and will briefly talk you through what they are going to do to assess whether there are any risks for Legionella in your water system.
They will look around the building and conduct a thorough survey of your water system. Chiefly, they will measure the temperature of the water from the outlets (normally taps) that are the furthest and closest to the water storage tank or heat source and take a good look at the pipework. If you have any outside taps, or outbuildings with water outlets, they will include these as part of the survey. They will also look at the main stopcock, to make sure that it is correctly plumbed. They will take photographs of the pipework. If you have a water storage tank, they will also survey this.
Why do they test water temperatures?
The temperature of your hot water is particularly important. Naturally, it should not be dangerously hot, but it should also be hot enough to be safe. Legionella proliferates in water at temperatures between 20°C and 45°C, so hot water should be stored above 60°C, hot water distribution should be above 50°C, and cold water storage and distribution should be below 20°C.
Our technician will measure the temperature of the cold water to make sure it is below 20°C. They will also measure the temperature of the hot water nearest your boiler, and furthest from your boiler. This will ensure that the hot water temperature is in the safe range throughout the system.
What are they looking for in the pipework?
Legionella also likes to breed in static or stagnant water, so our technician will check that water c