Legionella pneumophila is a gram-negative, pathogenic bacterium which can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a lung-loving infection. The initial outbreak was in 1976 at the American Legion Conference organised in Philadelphia. The bacterium grows inside of amoebae and they are natural inhabitants of water in rivers, lakes and streams. Wet gardening compost can alsoharbour the bacteria and not long ago there have been a number of cases of Legionnaires’ disease in gardeners dealing with bagged compost.
Legionnaires’ disease may be very critical and can lead to demise in around 5% to 30% of instances. Fast diagnosis of the disorder is important in order to put the proper treatment regime in place, using medicines such as erythromycin, and if treated swiftly the majority of able-bodied people make a total recovery.. However, diagnosis of Legionnaire’s disease can be difficult as it presents symptoms very similar to those of the common cold and many other types of pneumonia and with medical practitioners having little experience of the illness it can be easily overlooked. Indications of the disease can include the after; high fever, chills and a cough. Individuals can additionally feel muscle aches and head pain before finally succumbing to confusion and possibly dropping into a coma.For a certain identification of Legionnaire’s Disease chest X-rays are needed to show the pneumonia induced by the pathogen. Various other tests ought to be carried out on sputum (phlegm) and blood or urine to locate antibody evidence of the bacteria in the body.
Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the COSHH regulations 2002 all enterprises have a legal obligation to protect staff and the public from possible harm. As those to stop the sickness and possible deaths from Legionella infection a proper Legionella Risk Assessment should be carried out on all company water systems in conformity to all up to date Legionella advice set out by the HSE in the booklet “Legionnaires’ disease. The control of Legionella bacteria in water systems. Approved Code of Practice and Guidance” ISBN 9780717617722.
Due to the potential complexities of carrying out this risk evaluation an external service provider is generally employed. Emphasis for high quality is placed on both client and legionella control company and there has just lately been a service provider prosecuted for information lacking Legionella risk assessments. Using the new British StandardBS8580 now present this should supply clients with an excellent benchmark of what to expect from their Legionella risk assessment. Not performing an evaluation at all could leave the door wide open for prosecution and the deaths of innocent individuals with large fines and possible imprisonment.
Any current Legionella risk assessment must be reconsidered at least every 2 years or earlier if considerable changes to the H2O systems have been undertaken or if the building or system has experienced a change in use since the original evaluation. If the system or building is involved in a positive Legionella identification or an outbreak query (Legionnaires’ disease), after that a re-assessment will most likely be required, irrespective of the time since the last assessment.
After the Legionella risk assessment has been carried out it is then practicable to develop a regular inspection and maintenance plan to further avert the risks. This can involve routine temperature testing, Legionella bacteria sampling, cleaning and chlorination and regular inspections of the water system condition. All risk control programs have to incorporate retaining accurate information of the work performed.
There are a considerable number of web sites that impart facts on Legionella risk assessment and control and additionally many web pages providing water tank cleaning.