Legionella Lessons Must Be Learnt

A catalogue of "basic failings" led to a Legionnaires' disease outbreak that killed seven people, a report says. The BBC reported in April that another 180 people were infected in Barrow, Cumbria, in 2002 because of a faulty air conditioning system at the council-run Forum 28 arts centre.  Poor communication at Barrow Borough Council was to blame, said the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and an independent inquiry into the outbreak, carried out in 2006, found safety documents had been thrown away. 

The inquiry's independent chairman Colin Pickthall told the BBC: "The guidelines on how to avoid legionella were readily available then, as now. They weren't used; they weren't disseminated around the council.”  But the information is easy to find http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/iacl27.pdf and it is crucial that organisations learn the lessons from the outbreak at Barrow. 

Don't take a chance - check you're compliant

If you are an employer who manages premises with hot/cold water services and/or wet cooling systems (cooling towers and evaporative condensers – air conditioning systems or showers), then you may want to spare this some thought!  To prevent legionnaire’s disease, you as a duty holder must comply with legislation that requires you to manage, maintain and treat water systems in your premises properly.

Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia.  It was named after an outbreak of severe pneumonia (that) affected a meeting of the American Legion in 1976.  It is an uncommon but serious disease, and is actually one of a group of similar diseases collectively known as legionellosis.  People catch Legionnaires’ disease by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air, which contain the bacteria.  The symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are similar to those of flu - high temperature, fever and chills; cough; muscle pains and headache.  In a bad case there may also be pneumonia, and occasionally diarrhoea and signs of mental confusion.  In extreme cases, the disease can be fatal.

The agent that causes Legionnaires’ disease is a bacterium called Legionella pneumophilia.  Legionella bacteria are widespread in nature, mainly living in natural water systems, such as rivers and ponds.  However, the conditions are rarely right for people to catch the disease from these sources.  Instead, outbreaks of the illness occur from exposure to Legionella growing in purpose-built systems where the water is maintained at a temperature high enough to encourage growth, e.g. cooling towers, evaporative condensers, spa pools, and hot water systems used in all sorts of premises (work and domestic).  Most community outbreaks in the UK have been linked to installations such as cooling towers, which can spread droplets of water over a wide area.  These are found as part of air-conditioning and industrial cooling systems.

Make sure you know the legislation

Remember, Legionella can grow in any workplace if the conditions are right – you do not have to work with microbiological agents, e.g. in a laboratory, for exposure to occur.  If you are responsible for any of the water systems described in HSE’s Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and Guidance “Legionnaires' disease: The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems” (L8) you will need to assess the risk of employees and others in the workplace contracting Legionnaires’ disease. 

Fortunately, with our UKAS accredited microbiological service and considerable expertise in this area, Scientifics can quickly assess your premises and provide advice on whether your organisation is at risk.  Please contact info@scientifics.com or www.scientifics.com.

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