British Establishments to be checked on Legionella Control

British Establishments are going to be checked up and down the country by the HSE. Currently, the gaze has been turned to Scotland, but its only a matter of time before the rest of the UK gets involved, especially following the recent outbreaks in England. The full article reads:

Businesses are organisations in the West of Scotland with cooling towers are facing checks to ensure they are managing legionella risks appropriately. 

Currently, Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities are visiting cooling towers and evaporative condensers in Glasgow, North Ayrshire, Inverclyde and Renfrewshire; however checks are expected to be carried out across similar sites in Britain. 

These inspections follow the publication of a safety notice in July warning of the legionella risks posed by cooling towers and evaporative condensers, and are also part of a wider initiative to promote better control of legionella.   

“Our research has confirmed that cooling towers pose the biggest legionella risk. If we, or local authority inspectors, find that the appropriate controls are not in place, we will take enforcement action. 

A review of legionella outbreaks by the HSE in 2011 highlighted cooling towers and evaporative condensers as being responsible for the majority of the most significant outbreaks in Britain in the past ten years. 

Commenting on the visits that the HSE are currently embarking on, David Snowball, Director for Scotland and Northern England, said: 

“We are doing these visits to focus businesses' attention on ensuring they are doing what is required both to protect their workers and the wider public.

"Inspections are a valuable part of our regulatory action. They are however no substitute for companies meeting their legal duties on a daily basis, given that legionella levels can increase to high levels in a matter of days or weeks."