A Guide to Professional Legionella Testing, Identifying and Removing
Legionella risk assessments, monitoring and assessment programmes are important for a number of reasons. These are to identify the harmful bacteria and ensure that any issues have been resolved. It is a legal requirement that legionella risk assessments are carried out on water systems within a site by a qualified assessor in order to ensure that any required steps are taken to avoid issues with this harmful bacteria.
Carrying out regular risk assessments and monitoring for legionella is useful to ensure that there are no issues developing. One method used to assess issues with legionella on a site is microbiological sampling. This can provide detailed information on the water quality throughout different water systems on a site and allow for accurate risk assessments and monitoring of any issues with legionella.
Read more for some further information on the ways in which water treatment engineers can identify and remove legionella from water systems.
Legionella Risk Assessment
It is a legal requirement for landlords to carry out risk assessments for Legionella both in domestic and commercial properties. This requirement is outlined in the HSE Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L8. There is a requirement for an ongoing process to be implemented to ensure that there are not any issues with Legionella bacteria within a site’s water system and that issues are resolved where present.
Microbiological Sampling
Microbiological sampling can be used to provide an accurate picture of the bacterial profile of a water system. When carrying out microbiological sampling there will typically be specific harmful bacteria that are being checked for with one example being Legionella. If Legionella is identified there are a range of cleaning methods that can be utilised as a part of a broader approach to resolving issues in a site’s water system. Some of these methods include water tank chlorination, silver-stabilised Hydrogen-Peroxide and thermal disinfection.
When your water tank is chlorinated, you will be provided with a chlorination certificate. This document will contain detailed information about the chlorination procedure, including the date and time of the chlorination, the type and concentration of disinfectant used, and the duration of the chlorination process.
Water Tank Cleaning
It is important that water tank cleaning is carried out by specialist water treatment engineers experienced in resolving issues with Legionella. In addition to removing harmful bacteria from a site’s water system, these cleaning methods can also resolve a range of other issues including removing biofilms, resolving issues with corrosion and preventing the build-up of sediment. If Legionella is identified in your water system, a water treatment engineer will be able to identify the best approach to resolving this issue and preventing any future issues with this bacteria.
Contact Us
Our experienced water treatment engineers at H2O Comply Limited can provide risk assessments, monitoring and inspection programmes for Legionella in water systems along with a range of other water treatment and consultancy services. To find out more about the services we provide, get in touch today by calling us on 0800 6893 463 or emailing us at enquiries@h2ocomply.co.uk.
