Up to date guidance and recommendations for the prevention of Legionaire’s disease are as important as ever. David Fatscher, head of sustainability at the BSI, discusses the revised risk assessment standard, with technical content provided by Graham Thompson, Oculius Consulting and John Lee, Legionella Ltd
Outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease continue to occur. Recently, there were 50 related casualties and two fatalities in an apartment building in New York City in the US, while government statistics in England and Wales reported 469 cases in 2018.1,2 Legionellosis is the collective term for diseases caused by Legionella bacteria, an opportunist pathogen that normally inhabits warm, moist or aquatic environments. The most serious and potentially fatal is Legionnaires’ disease.
The first British Standard for assessing the risk of Legionellawas published in 2010. Now a significant revision to the standard in line with changes to the Health and Safety Executive code of practice has been released - BS 8580-1:2019 Water Quality. Risk assessments for Legionella control.
The code of practice applies to risk assessments undertaken on premises, plant and systems and where control measures may have been implemented, while the revision aligns the standard with the Health and Safety Executive’s The Legionnaires’ Disease Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) (L8)3and associated guidance documents. Undertaking a Legionellarisk assessment is a legal requirement, making the standard invaluable to anyone who is responsible for the safe management of water systems
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