Legionella Risk Assessments in Milton Keynes
Keeping on top of your legionella risk isn’t just about legal compliance – it’s one more way of keeping yourself, as well as colleagues, staff, tenants and visitors to your property safe.
One of the most reliable ways of ensuring there are no legionella outbreaks in your properties is to undertake thorough risk assessments. This will rank each aspect of your water system by how much potential there is for it to harbour legionella, so you can take remedial action. There can never be zero risk, but by identifying known hazards, you will be taking important steps towards safety and compliance.
What is Legionella?
Legionella is a bacteria which causes legionellosis, better known as legionnaire’s disease. It’s a type of pneumonia, often accompanied by vomiting and fever. While it can be treated with antibiotics, it can lead to hospitalisation or even death. It was discovered in the 1970s, after an outbreak during a meeting of the American Legion (US veterans), hence its name. The bacteria multiplies in water and air conditioning systems, and thrives in stagnant water in the 20–55 °C range.
Preventing legionella outbreaks
To keep legionella at bay, you need to know what are the conditions in which it thrives, and eliminate them. So that means avoiding stagnant pools of water (i.e. keeping flow active), preventing water being at the critical temperature range for long periods, and keeping pipework and other components clean and free of sludge and other build-ups.
Inspections and documentation
When we perform an inspection, we’ll trace your entire water system, from entry point to waste, and give each component a risk score. Systems get modified over the years, and that can lead to dead ends and permanently closed valves, which can become havens for the bacteria. That’s why we’re thorough and take nothing for granted. The assessment will include a full report with documentation, which you can use for your own legal compliance and insurance, as well as to show to future inspectors.
