This is because legionella is a water-borne bacterium that poses a serious threat to health by causing Legionnaires’ disease, a type of pneumonia that can be fatal. Hence you must comply with safety regulations relating to legionella. According to the Health and Safety Executive in the UK, these apply when a premise is: Controlled in connection with a trade, business or other undertaking where water is stored or used, and where there is a means of creating and transmitting breathable water droplets… Since most water systems can create microscopic droplets in the air (via taps, showers, air conditioning, etc.) you should carry out legionella water testing.
Legionella bacteria can survive within a certain temperature range, which is generally between 20C degrees and 50C degrees. Legionella it’s the most virulent at around 37.5C degrees (roughly the temperature of a human body) where it can multiply. Water hygiene expert Joe Finn of Remote Tech said: “Legionella needs certain conditions to thrive, so if you carry out frequent temperature checks, you can accurately assess the risk of a problem. “This is vital because Legionellosis (a term for infections caused by legionella, including Legionnaires’ disease) can be deadly, particularly among the elderly, or for people with health issues.”
Legionella can multiply at an extremely fast rate. In some cases, it can grow exponentially by the millions in a single day. This is most likely to happen when water is left in a still state, for example in pipes that have not been used for 24 hours or more. Hence, to have truly effective monitoring for the risk of legionella it is advisable to carry out water temperature checks around the clock. This can be expensive and inconvenient if it involves regular site visits by an expert. One solution to this problem is remote monitoring. Technology experts at Remote Tech have developed a smart sensor that makes use of ‘Internet of Things’ technology to keep a building safe. Florin Mangu, CEO of Remote Tech, said: “When temperatures are normal, our legionella sensor sends a test result to a server every three hours. However, in between these times the sensor remains on intelligent stand-by. If there are any inconsistencies, the sensor fully awakes and sends an immediate alert.” Landlords can access data from the sensor and seek professional advice in the event of a problem. Meanwhile, the threat from legionella is on the increase in many parts of the world, due to factors such as climate change. “What we are seeing now is that temperatures are increasing even in cold water, so Legionella bacteria also increase,” said Professor Martin Exner, Director of the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at University Clinic Bonn, in a recent interview.
A – The risk of legionella infection increases over the age of 45. Among those most susceptible are people with chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, and problems with the lungs, heart, kidneys or immune system. Smokers or heavy drinkers are also likely to fall into a similar risk category.
Legionella symptoms are initially similar to severe flu. According to the National Health Service, symptoms of Legionnaires’ disease are initially a bad cough that does not go away. You may not be able to breathe properly, suffer from severe chest pains, have a high body temperature, and feel hot or shivery. If you experience these symptoms you are advised to call the NHS on 111.
You can become infected with legionella if it gets into your lungs by breathing in tiny droplets or mists of water. Legionnaires’ disease is often caught in places like hotels, hospitals or offices where the bacteria have got into the water supply. This is why it is so vital to carry our temperature checks, with hot water ideally being stored above 50C degrees, and cold water below 20C degrees.
Legionnaires’ disease can be found anywhere that water may exist in a still state for a period of time, such as in spa pools and hot tubs, air conditioning systems, showers, taps and toilets. If, for example, a toilet is located in a part of a building that is not used very often, then the risk may be heightened.
Useful links.
The first-ever Legionella outbreak with over 200 victims was in Philadelphia – United States in the year 1976. Throughout history, scientists have discovered over 50 species of Legionella bacteria.
In the UK the first outbreak took place at the Staffordshire Hospital in the year 1985 with 100 cases of which 28 died.
Following multiple outbreaks, managing the risk of Legionella has fallen under HSG274 and COSHH.
Legionnaire’s disease is formed from an infection by a bacteria found in water. Several systems like cooling towers, showers, and air conditioning are catalogued as high risk when it comes to Legionella.
Because Legionella is formed in the water at temperatures of 20°C – 45°C, ensuring that temperatures always stay to the following levels:
For businesses with many high-risk systems, manual temperature monitoring can be both time-consuming and expensive
A more reliable and lower-risk approach is to install a water temperature monitoring solution to report live temperature readings in the water system.
In line with the LCA guidelines, it’s also advisable to conduct a Legionella sample testing from your water systems once every 2 years just to make sure everything is fine.
Water Hygiene professionals are fighting an uphill battle with dated infrastructure and water systems more likely to contain the conditions needed for legionella bacteria to multiply. This puts greater pressure on Building Services Managers and Water Hygiene specialists to prevent or tackle legionella outbreaks in older buildings.
When conducting a Legionella Risk Assessment as part of the HSE Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L8 and HSG274, competent individuals should consider the inherent risks in their older building that may lead to a need for more regular water temperature readings.
These factors could lead to a greater variance in water temperatures. Whilst it’s impossible to eliminate all risks posed by legionella in every building, modern buildings do benefit from modern infrastructure and can be easier to monitor and control.
Over the weekend, local and national news highlighted the successful intervention by Engineers in the Estate Team at Southampton Police Station (watch here) whose proactive regime of legionella monitoring and testing had identified a small and isolated legionella outbreak in the Western Police Investigation Centre, in Southern Road
Whilst the outbreak has not led to any cases of Legionnaires Disease, the potentially fatal type of pneumonia contracted by inhaling water droplets containing legionella bacteria, it has caused significant disruption to the building’s users. It’s also likely to have involved considerable cost to pasteurise the water systems and make them safe, and it will have a lasting impact on the perception of safety by those who work in the building.
When outbreaks are detected in older buildings, remediation works simply return the water system back to safety. They do not eliminate the chances of its return. Managers of older buildings are required to carry out regular monitoring, testing and a regime of preventative maintenance, but the risk of legionella is higher.
This is especially true if the regime relies on manual, periodic temperature monitoring and reactive testing. As manual temperature reading leads to considerable operational complexity and cost, it can be a significant barrier to carrying out more frequent temperature readings that could help identify risks sooner. Early intervention is critical in monitoring safety and a regular water temperature monitoring routine is a fundamental tool in the arsenal.
This manual approach, combined with the need for more testing and monitoring as a result of the building’s age, is likely to be insufficient to manage the risks of legionella in any meaningful way, meaning Engineers are always playing catch-up.
The challenges are compounded when a manual approach requires someone to physically be present to check the temperature of water systems. This means the dated infrastructure of older buildings is likely to continue to provide the potential for the right conditions for legionella to grow and become a viable risk.
Whilst legionella bacteria can be found in trace quantities in a range of water sources, it is dormant in water below 20C and cannot survive above 60C. For the bacteria to multiply and pose a risk, there are common conditions that trigger and accelerate its growth;
Advancements to the Internet of Things (IoT) space and connected devices in industrial applications have led to a range of legionella control and prevention technologies coming to market over the past decade. Whilst their adoption has been slow, the many complexities posed by COVID-19 on legionella control regimes and unsustainable costs of a manual approach have led to an acceleration of the use of remote temperature monitoring technology.
From digital logbooks that increase the visibility and audibility of legionella control activities, to remote temperature monitoring solutions that provide a real-time picture of the temperature in critical water systems remotely, digital transformation is changing the face of legionella control, fast.
Managers of older buildings could benefit from adopting modern, simple technology to monitor their assets. This is especially true in the post-COVID world where more employees are working remotely leading to a greater number of ‘little used assets’ and more building access challenges.
This change to working patterns is a potential ticking time bomb when coupled with an ageing building infrastructure and is affecting modern buildings as well.
Remote temperature monitoring provides a real-time understanding of your remote assets. Regular timed readings give you a clearer picture of the true risks posed by your system. Smart sensors monitor for temperature variances to ensure that the desired temperatures are being achieved when assets are in use. Intuitive risk rating dashboards help you prioritise the assets that need the most attention.
Find out more about our water hygiene & Legionella risk monitoring solutions
