Becoming a landlord can be rewarding but also challenging. You must be proactive in reviewing your property regularly to ensure your tenants’ health and safety. The law requires a detailed assessment of Legionella, so carry out your due diligence. If ingested or inhaled, it can lead to Legionnaires disease (legionellosis), an infectious disease that can be fatal if left untreated. The risk of Legionella is likely higher in properties left empty and where excess water can’t flow or drain away. Besides hot tubs, familiar sources of exposure include showerheads, faucets, and decorative fountains.
This checklist is a guide, so it’s not designed as a technical manual.
Find All the Critical Points of a System
The behaviour of a system is somewhat complicated. It becomes linear only if the critical points are isolated, at least if we’re close. It’s up to you to identify and control potential issues before they occur – if you don’t keep the risk of Legionella under control, you may be prosecuted under the HSWA Act. Water supplies aren’t always as pure as we’d like; even if the water meets safety standards, some undesirable aesthetic characteristics may still exist. If you know a length of pipework part of the hot or cold water distribution system is never in use (or has become isolated), remove it immediately.
The ideal piping for preventing or stopping the growth of Legionella is the “smoothest” one. Cross-linked polyethylene and polyvinyl chloride tend to be smoother than ferric-based piping systems. A checklist will help you manage your building’s water system and control the spread of bacteria. You can use a Legionella risk assessment template to help keep a record of what you’re already doing. Any device containing non-sterile water can grow Legionella, so implement control measures by keeping all plumbed devices clean and, above all, well-maintained. Lawn sprinklers and irrigation systems are good examples.
Take A Sample That’s Representative of The Whole Lot
Water samples must be analysed for Legionella periodically to prove that bacteria counts are acceptable. Regular monitoring, maintenance, and testing should all come together to ensure the risk of an outbreak is as low as possible. Processing an immediate, unflushed water sample brings about the best results in terms of recovering Legionella based on count and sample positivity. Therefore, the samples should be received by the laboratory soon after collection for processing. Needless to say, multiple sampling locations should be analysed and considered in addition to the initial concentration. Flushing can provide a benefit in reducing the concentration of waterborne pathogens.
Properly Disinfect and Sterilize
Because tenants are in the space without your supervision, you must trust them. Behaviour based safety observation can help reduce the number of incidents by eliminating the need for unsafe behaviour. When an area is dirty, it can create conditions for Legionella to thrive. For instance, dirty shower heads can be deadly. Limescale provides the bacteria with much-needed nutrients that help it grow, so it’s crucial for the showerheads to be descaled regularly to reduce limescale build-up.
It’s recommended to disinfect the entire water system instead of treating an isolated storage tank or a particular pipework. The steps to effective cleaning and disinfection are:
Thermal disinfection. Water heaters are set to very high temperatures to kill the bacteria – at 60 °C. Taps and outlets are opened slightly to draw the water slowly but surely through the system.
Chemical disinfection. Injecting chlorine and monochloramines into the water is extremely effective in controlling Legionella and preventing Legionnaires disease. After some time, a neutralising chemical agent is applied.
Conclusion
Technical expertise is required to isolate Legionella, so contact an experienced and competent consultant who respects the highest technical standards.