ESC Global

What is Legionella Risk Assessment?

In order to explain what legionella risk assessment is, I feel I must first explain what legionella is. Legionella is a potentially fatal infectious disease. It's a type of pneumonia which thrives in warm environments at temperatures from 25 - 45 celsius. Any age group can be at risk of legionella infection if resident of working in an environment which is considered high risk. But men over the age of 50, in particular those men who smoke are of higher risk of infection.

Legionellosis has 2 forms; legionaires' disease and Pontiac fever. Legionaires' disease causes pneumonia and can cause death, whilst Pontiac fever is a much milder illness usually similar to a bad case of influenza. Whilst some people who get infected with legionella bacterium only suffer from minor illness a small number unfortunately die from the disease.

Legionella or bacterium legionalla pneumophila can be found in small amounts within the environment around us, in natural sources of water, such as springs and lakes and poses no risk of infection to humans.

Risk of Legionella Infection from Domestic Water Supplies

Legionella can be found in much higher concentrations however, within man-made water supply systems, such as hot & cold domestic water pipes and within industry. If conditions are suitable the bacteria can multiply and colonise the system, increasing the risk of legionella infection. Particularly if the water system is connected to a shower or spray tap, because it is in these situations that humans can become infected with legionella by inhaling contaminated respirable droplets or aerosols.

The high risk of suffering a legionella infection from water supplies, particular within workplace environments, has been considerably reduced by tighter health & safety regulations being brought into force. The Health & Safety at Work Act, Control of Substances Hazardous to Health or COSHH Regulations and The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems regulations help ensure that employers maintain their water systems to a suitably high level that infections are kept to a minimum in the UK.

Legionella Risk Assessment Services

The enforcement of regulations concerning water systems in workplaces such as leisure centres, schools or universities, industrial plants, care homes and office blocks, is the job of environmental health offices and companies that carry out legionella risk assessment services.

Such legionella risk assessment providers offer a package of services that minimises the number of legionella infections by ensuring that official guidelines are met. They carry out legionella assessments, which can involve regular inspection, monitoring, cleaning and record keeping of data for analysis. As well as recommendations for how your own members of staff can implement a Legionella Control Scheme where by they manage the risk of legionella themselves.

In addition legionella risk assessment companies provide supplementary training to members of your staff, whom you've given responsibility for enforcing the Legionella Control Scheme and carry out independent legionella control audits to maintain the effectiveness of your in-house legionella control scheme.

Legionella Symptoms & Treatment

Those suffering from being infected with legionaires' disease tend to have a fever, the chills and a dry cough, but also can suffer from muscle aches, headaches, tiredness and loss of appetite and coordination or ataxia. In some case people who have become infected, experience diarrhea and vomiting.

The most common treatment for infections of legionella, is with antibiotics. Adults of 18 and over are prescribed levofloxacin and azithromycin, whilst those suffering from legionella infections of the age of 12 to 18 are given tetracyclines. The effectiveness of using antibiotics nowadays is considerably higher than in the 1970's, mortality rates if prescribed quickly after infection are around 5%.

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