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Topics Issue 1 |
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Topics Issue 1 |
Did you know that if you operate commercial premises you are required by the Health and Safety at Work act and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations to carry out an assessment to identify potential risk of legionellosis?
This assessment must be carried out by suitably qualified operators who can assess potential risk, introduce appropriate measures to minimise that risk and ensure these measures remain effective.
Complying with these regulations may seem daunting but it is really very simple. Towerite has all the expertise to set your mind at rest.
Many building operators mistakenly believe that they need only carry out a risk assessment for legionellosis if their building has cooling towers.
In fact the regulations relate to any area where there is a risk of creating and transmitting water droplets that may be inhaled. Sampling for Legionella is seperate from sampling to assess general water quality and involves totally different procedures. It may not be included in your existing water treatment contract.
THESE REGULATIONS APPLY TO ALL COMMERCIAL PREMISES
Water treatment and hygiene specialist, Towerite Ltd, has extensive experience in carrying out detailed risk assessment for legionellosis. In addition to identifying potential risk areas we will advise on the most suitable means to minimise risk and if you require, we will implement these measures as part of a regular service.
Carrying out a full risk assessment study requires in-depth assessment which many companies do not have the resources and in-house expertise to carry out themselves. Towerite's Risk Assessment Service is designed to take this onus away from the building operator and includes a full inspection of water services.
The whole Towerite service is backed by detailed written reports, providing full documentary evidence of compliance with the legislation.
The best known form of legionellosis is Legionnaires' disease, so called because the first identified outbreak was at an American Legion convention in 1976. Other, milder, forms of legionellosis are Pontiac fever and Lochgoilhead fever.
All of the illnesses are caused by a bacterium called Legionella which is widespread in nearly all forms of water. Rivers, Lakes, Streams, Mud and Soil can provide a home to these bacteria, as well as a building's water based service. But it is only when they get into water droplets and are inhaled that they become dangerous.
It is for this reason that Risk Assessment Criteria for legionellosis are applied to areas where droplets of water may be formed. These areas are only a potential risk if there is the possibility of the right breeding conditions for the bacteria and indentifying potential breeding sites lies at the core of Towerite's Risk Assessment Service.
