The subject of Legionnaires' Disease has become ever more topical in recent times with the Barrow in Furness trial and more outbreaks of the disease in the UK and across Europe.
With this in mind the HSE has recently seen fit to produce a document highlighting changes made to the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) and guidance note L8 on the subject of Legionnaires' Disease published in November 2000. This document is aimed at the wide range of organisations, groups or self-employed individuals providing residential accommodation who are responsible for the water system(s) in their premises, including:
Local Authorities.
Universities.
Housing Associations, including housing companies.
Charities.
Hostels.
Landlords in the private renting sector.
Managing Agents.
Hoteliers, B&B, guest house and holiday camp owners.
Caravan and camping site owners, including fixed caravan sites.
Providers of such accommodation will have to assess the risk from exposure to Legionella to staff, guests and customers, and people working in their premises. They will then need to introduce appropriate control measures.
In short what it says is that if you are responsible for maintenance of a boiler, tap, shower, etc., in one of the above types of accommodation then you need to be aware of the legal requirements in L8.
According to the guidelines those people involved in this work will need to be trained and assessed.
THE SOLUTION: In order to meet the expected demand for training for people employed in these areas, including Plumbers, Installers, Operators and Supervisors, etc., Logic Certification has launched a training course which is delivered through their network of approved assessment centres located throughout the UK. The course is aimed at those engineers and installers who carry out work on the water supply system within the properties, and covers the practical aspects of water treatment and also covers an element of risk assessment.
The course will cover all the relevant points including how you get the disease, what you have to do to comply with the law, assessing the risk, etc., BUT, very importantly for plumbers and operators, etc., what you need to do to put water systems right and how to do a disinfection. There will be a practical session on disinfections which no doubt will be the most popular part of the course.
During the practical sessions delegates will familiarised with the water treatment process using various methods including chlorine, bleach and silver hydrogen peroxide.
SUMMARY:
Approximately 250 people per annum are reported to die on average in the UK from Legionnaires' Disease. In practice, as many as 10 times that number may well die from the disease. It is spread by sprays from showers and taps AND BY SPA BATHS AND HOT TUBS and has recently been found in domestic properties. By carrying out remedial work on hot and cold water systems, plus other control measures and disinfections where necessary, Plumbers (and others) can help protect the public from this dangerous disease and at the same time add another profitable string to their bow. But to this end they will need to have practical and realistic training.