Legionella Risk Assessment Bournemouth

legionella risk assessment testing for landlords of domestic, residential and commercial properties in the Bournemouth, Poole, Christchurch and Dorset. The cost of legionella risk assessment carried out by boiler geeks is just £50.00 +VAT. This helps you to ensure that your properties are safe and conform to legal requirements and legislation.

 

What is Legionella?

 

Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water containing Legionella. All man-made hot and cold-water systems are likely to provide an environment where Legionella can grow. Where conditions are favourable (ie suitable growth temperature range; water droplets (aerosols) produced and dispersed; water stored and/or recirculated; some ‘food’ for the organism to grow such as rust, sludge, scale, biofilm etc) then the bacteria may multiply thus increasing the risk of exposure.  It is a simple fact that the organism will colonise both large and small systems so both require risks to be managed effectively.

The Law and You

 

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 the health and safety of your tenant by keeping the property safe and free from health hazards.

 

What You Must Do

 

The practical and proportionate application of health and safety law to landlords of domestic rental properties is that whilst there is a duty to assess the risk from exposure to Legionella to ensure the safety of their tenants, this does not require an in-depth, detailed assessment.  The risks from hot and cold-water systems in most residential settings are generally considered to be low owing to regular water usage and turnover. A typical ‘low risk’ example may be found in a small building (eg housing unit) with small domestic-type water systems, where daily water usage is inevitable and sufficient to turn over the entire system; where cold water is directly from a wholesome mains supply (no stored water tanks); where hot water is fed from instantaneous heaters or low volume water heaters (supplying outlets at 50 °C); and where the only outlets are toilets and wash hand basins.

 

Legionella Risk Assessment Bournemouth

 

A simple assessment may show that there are no real risks and are being properly managed and no further action is needed.  It is important to review the assessment in case anything changes in the system.

 

Implementing simple, proportionate and appropriate control measures will ensure the risk remains low.  For most domestic hot and cold-water systems, temperature is the most reliable way of ensuring the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria is minimised i.e. keep the hot water hot, cold water cold and keep it moving.  Other simple control measures to help control the risk of exposure to Legionella include:

 

• Flushing out the system prior to letting the property
• Avoiding debris getting into the system (e.g. ensure the cold-water tanks, where fitted, have a tight-fitting lid)
• Setting control parameters (e.g. setting the temperature of the hot water cylinder (calorifier) to ensure water is stored at 60°C)
• Make sure any redundant pipework identified is removed.

 

The risk is further lowered where instantaneous water heaters (for example combi boilers and electric showers) are installed because there is no water storage.

 

What Your Tenant Needs to Know

 

Tenants should be advised of any control measures put in place that should be maintained eg not to adjust the temperature setting of the calorifier, to regularly clean showerheads and tenants should inform the landlord if the hot water is not heating properly or there are any other problems with the system so that appropriate action can be taken.

 

Where showers are installed, these have the means of creating and dispersing water droplets (aerosols) which may be inhaled causing a foreseeable risk of exposure to Legionella.  If used regularly (as in the majority of most domestic settings) the risks are reduced but, in any case, tenants should be advised to regularly clean and disinfect showerheads.  Instantaneous electric showers pose less of a risk as they are generally cold water-fed and heat only small volumes of water during operation.

 

Additional Actions for Properties Left Vacant

 

It is important that water is not allowed to stagnate within the water system and so there should be careful management of properties left vacant for extended periods (e.g. student accommodation left empty over the summer vacation).  As a general principle, outlets on hot and cold-water systems should be used at least once a week to maintain a degree of water flow and minimise the chances of stagnation. To manage the risks during non-occupancy, consideration should be given to implementing a suitable flushing regime or other measures such as draining the system if it is to remain vacant for long periods