Legionella Know the Risks

Legionella is a headline grabbing bacteria that can prove fatal. Any source of still water can be infected with legionella unless proper precautions are taken. Probe's AiroPure has been designed to inhibit the growth of legionella bacteria and this considerably reduces risk to those who control odour through a spray system.

For companies using odour control equipment that rely on a water based product then there remains a risk of not only the legionella bacteria growing but also being dispersed across a wide area. This led to Probe investing heavily in developing a product that would inhibit the growth of legionella to the extent of reducing risk significantly.

And the risks are significant. Behind many of the headlines regarding legionella are some major risks both in terms of human life, business reputation and liability:

Exxon Mobil’s Noroxo Plant, Northern France  86 cases, 18 deaths

Fredrikstad, Norway   53 Cases, 10 Deaths

Toronto, Canada 127 cases, 23 Deaths

Barrow-in-Furness  179 cases, 7 deaths

Springs Health Club, Sunderland 120 cases PF, 2 Cases LD

Given the high stakes the task of minimising risk in all applications is an important one. It is also not surprising that the HSE’s attitude is to take a firm line on legionella with notices for significant failures and possible prosecution, even if there is no outbreak.
So how to minimise the risk? Here are our 10 recommended tips:

• Minimising the risk by using a product such as AiroPure that inhibits legionella – check with your supplier
• Where available, ensure regular maintenance contracts are in place with your equipment supplier
• Appoint a person to manage precautions
• Person doing the risk assessment needs to be competent
• Competent help must be available if required, several sources may be  needed
• Make sure lines of communication  and reporting  are clear
• Check temperatures at all outlets randomly for temperature compliance annually
• Visual check on internal surfaces of storage tanks for scale and sludge 6 monthly
• Check water tank temperatures remote from ball valve for temperature compliance Summer & Winter
• Check temperature at sentinel taps is below 20°C after two minutes running Monthly

For further information on how Airopure can reduce your risk of legionella, contact us on 0191 251 1888 or e-mail info@probeindustries.co.uk

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