Avoiding Legionnaires’ Disease – Guidance for Reopening Hotels Post Covid-19

5th March 2021/in Compliance, Guidance, International, Legionella, News /by Simon Dooner

Avoiding Legionnaires’ Disease – Guidance for Reopening Hotels Post Covid-19

In this article the water safety specialists at Legionella Control International examine the hotel and hospitality sectors and consider how Covid-19 lock-downs may have unintentionally created serious water safety issues that if left unresolved could threaten the health of staff, guests and others as they re-open their doors.

Our experts consider how coronavirus lock-downs may have created hidden dangers lurking within hotel water systems, what they are and which types of water system may be affected. We look at how to properly assess these dangers and conclude with a number of practical steps that can be taken to help keep people safe from the dangers of Legionnaires’ disease. We’ve also published a useful technical water safety document that provides guidance for engineering teams and operators of hotels and hospitality premises — this can be downloaded towards the end of this article.

Stay home!

Over the past 12 months or so, people around the world have been given one clear message.

Stay home.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed our lives. Millions of people have been unable to see friends and family for months on end. Strict lock-downs were brought in around the world to try and halt the spread of infection. It’s worked but choosing when to relax those rules has proven problematic too. And with all eyes on the coronavirus and its ever-changing mutations and variants, it’s no wonder other equally important factors have been forgotten.

Tough times for the hotel and hospitality sectors

Few businesses have escaped the impact of COVID-19 unscathed. However, some sectors have been harder hit than others. The hotel and hospitality sectors are a prime example. To understand the scale of the impact on international travel and hospitality, London Heathrow Airport has recently posted a £2 billion annual loss, with passenger numbers tumbling to those seen half a century ago.

Airports stand almost empty. Hotels, resorts, and holiday properties of all kinds are have been mothballed… closed or operating with only a skeleton staff, waiting for the time they can throw open their doors and welcome holidaymakers back again.

The owners of such properties have worked hard over the past year to make their apartments, hotels, and holiday lets ‘COVID safe’ – and they’ve done a fine job of it. However, we did allude to other factors just now, and we’re going to cover those here.

Unused buildings make ideal breeding grounds for legionella and other dangerous waterborne bugs

When properties stand empty for several weeks or longer, unused by humans, other serious issues can arise that are far removed from coronavirus. Unseen and potentially forgotten in the drama of a pandemic, bacteria such as legionella can take advantage of being left alone in a disused water system. It doesn’t matter whether the holiday property is a simple log cabin in a gorgeous location or a grand hotel in the centre of one of the world’s most popular destinations. In every case, the risk of legionella spreading through the water system to cause serious risk to health is clear – and it is one that cannot be ignored.

How long does it take for a hotel water system to develop legionella problems?

Any man-made water system, whether it uses hot water, cold water, or both, can run into problems within a matters of days. Typically, a water system that’s left unused for 10 to 14 days is all it takes for legionella and other potentially harmful bacteria to begin colonising a water system.

Many buildings around the world have been left empty for far longer than that. As the warmer months approach in many parts of the northern hemisphere, owners of hotels and other holiday properties are hoping they can soon welcome visitors once more. Outbreaks of coronavirus in some countries are eventually coming under control, with national vaccination programmes in full swing. Everyone is desperate for a holiday, whether it is for a long weekend or a couple of weeks in the sun. Everywhere from airports to resorts, hotels, and holiday hideaways must be ready to welcome those eager holidaymakers again.

And that means checking the venues are ready to welcome people back safely. With additional measures required to deal with COVID-19 safety issues, we must also make sure the risk of Legionnaires’ disease is not forgotten.

Making sure water systems are safe and ready for use

Every building or business should have a key person who is responsible for ensuring the water systems are safe to use. Any type of shutdown will stop the regular flow of water through the system that helps prevent the build-up of harmful bacteria. This must be addressed before any hotel, holiday property or site can be reopened to the public.

Here are just some of the risks associated with building shut-downs, all of which could be found inside holiday properties, from the smallest apartment to the largest hotel:

Stagnant water in pipes leading to dangerous contamination or the build-up of bacteria and biofilm
Taps and other outlets such as showers going unused for weeks at a time
Water not being cooled or heated appropriately
Spa pools, hot tubs, pools, fountains and water features left untreated
Unused cooling systems, including air-conditioning cooling towers brought back in to service without proper precautions

Ideally, all properties should have been maintained throughout the pandemic. However, many staff have found themselves out of work or furloughed during the first and second waves in many countries. Certainly, with no holidaymakers around, there is little need for holiday parks, hotels, and other similar businesses to have their full complement of staff on site.

So, maintenance issues may have gone unnoticed and the water systems that serve these buildings may not have been properly checked and maintained during the pandemic. This means there is a good chance that levels of legionella and other harmful bacteria may be higher than acceptable.

If a property was to reopen without first checking the safety of the water system, the potential for an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease is clear and present.

And that would be the last thing an already-challenged hospitality industry or individual business needs after the events of the last 12 months.

How to combat the elevated risk of legionella and other waterborne bacteria

Fortunately, with good planning the steps hoteliers and hospitality business owners can take to minimise the risk from Legionnaires’ disease or similar harmful diseases are simple enough. The person in charge of water safety should follow all the usual steps they would normally take to maintain that system. There should be a water safety or legionella risk assessment to refer to in this case.

However, risk assessments should always be done again if there are material changes within the system. A pandemic that results in a disused water system for two weeks or longer would certainly qualify.

Identifying the water safety risks

Identifying the risks posed by an unused water system is a good place to start. While many properties wouldn’t ordinarily need to conduct water testing, it may well be a good idea to do so in this instance. Especially if there is a reason to suspect elevated levels of Legionella bacteria. Expert testing would confirm whether this is the case, and if so, how high those levels are.

Learn more about water testing

Other measures that should be implemented before reopening any hotel, holiday park, or resort should include thoroughly flushing through the entire water system. This helps remove any build-up of bacteria and stagnant water from the pipes.

Given that Legionella bacteria can be inhaled into the lungs via spray or mist, it would be wise to minimise the creation of an aerosol and use the appropriate personal protective equipment while this is done.

Serious consideration should also be given to how higher risk water systems are maintained and then brought back in to service. By higher risk we are referring to facilities such as spa pools and hot tubs, decorative water features and fountains and air conditioning cooling towers. These are all considered a higher legionella risk and need to be dealt with properly. It’s important to realise that it’s not a case of simply turning things back on again.

Hiring water safety specialists to get your property up and running again

It’s clear that the risks from Legionnaires’ disease are present, and potentially increased given the current circumstances. Fortunately, reducing elevated levels of this and other bacteria is straightforward if the proper steps are taken.

An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at this delicate stage, when the hotel and hospitality sector is cautiously preparing to reopen its doors, would be disastrous.

Calling in a water safety specialist such as Legionella Control International to conduct a detailed risk assessment and make sure all your water systems are safe to use once more is an investment well worth making.

Proper testing, dosing of the system if required, and adhering to all regulations and compliance measures can help make sure every holiday property is safe. And at a time when everyone would like to get away to relax, it’s a sensible measure to take.

Guidance — How to re-open hotels and hospitality premises safely

Our team of water safety experts have prepared technical guidance that sets-out a number of practical steps that those responsible for water safety should consider before recommissioning their buildings and water systems following a period of extended inactivity such as a Covid-19 lock-down.

Hotels and Hospitality Guidance – Recommissioning Building Water Systems Post Covid-19 Lockdown

Legionella Control International is a world-leading legionella and water safety specialist. Our teams of experts support owners and managers of hotels and other hospitality premises, helping them to protect their staff, guests and other stakeholders and so meet their social, health and safety obligations in this specialist area.

If you would like to speak with one of our specialists about managing your legionella risks call us today on 0330 223 36 86 or contact us here …

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From COVID-19 to Legionnaires’ Disease: A New Post-Lockdown Risk

9th February 2021/in Guidance, International, Legionella, News /by Simon Dooner

From COVID-19 to Legionnaires Disease: A New Post-Lockdown Risk

In recent months there have been several news reports pointing to the risks associated with opening all manner of buildings that were closed during lockdowns across the globe.

Many countries and areas implemented lockdowns to stem the spread of coronavirus. Schools closed. Shops, restaurants, and bars pulled down their shutters. Offices locked up for weeks. Factories stopped their machinery, and everyone downed tools and stayed at home to combat the spread of the infection.

Covid-19 lockdowns

Since the early months of 2020, many countries have gone through more than one lockdown. However, even when governments have allowed people to return to schools and workplaces, it hasn’t been as simple as going back and opening them once more.

Closing these buildings may have combated COVID-19, but it inadvertently helped bacteria to spread unnoticed in unused water systems throughout these same buildings. And that has led to a potential increase in the risk of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.

While no news has yet arisen pointing to an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease following a COVID-19 shutdown, the risk is there. It only takes a few weeks for Legionella bacteria to begin multiplying and colonising a water system.

Which buildings and water systems are most at risk from legionella?

Any building that has remained empty and unused for three weeks or more is at increasing risk. Similarly, any water system, from hot and cold taps, showers, ornamental fountains to hot tubs or cooling towers, is at risk of seeing elevated levels of the bacterium.

How can buildings be made safe to use as they reopen?

From a legionella control perspective the most important thing to remember is not to simply open buildings up again for immediate use. When recommissioning a building of any kind, it is wise to create a plan to help you do so. This is the responsibility of the duty holder and legionella responsible person who would normally handle water safety within the building.

If this role falls to you, you should already be familiar with the steps taken to maintain the water systems inside the building. This would involve cleaning, flushing through, temperature checking, and occasional testing if the circumstances demanded it.

However, while all those elements are still important when recommissioning the building, you must also consider the elevated risk involved from having the building standing empty for several weeks or even months. For example, one important task would be to flush through all outlets within the building. Since legionella can easily spread through aerosols, it would be prudent to wear RPE (respiratory protective equipment) while doing so, even if this would not normally be viewed as necessary.

You should also make sure all potential aerosols are limited as much as is practicable, along with reducing your exposure to them when they do exist. For instance, if you are going into a shower room, you could wear RPE, open all windows, turn on the shower, and exit the room, leaving it to run. You can then return to the room to shut off the shower before leaving once more, letting the aerosols disperse while the room is empty and ventilated.

Make sure you assess each element of the water system for legionella risks

This type of risk assessment will help you work out where the risks are. In some cases, the steps you need to take will be simple. When flushing through the water system, all valves should be turned to the open position rather than being partially open. Any biofilm (slime) or debris that has built up in the pipes during shutdown will be more easily flushed through.

It is also important to think about the complexity of the water system. In many cases, a straightforward water system will be simple enough to flush through using mains water. Providing all taps and outlets are fully in the on position, a flush through may be all you need to do to prepare the building to reopen, although sometimes carrying out legionella testing can give building occupiers that extra reassurance.

Following all instructions for evaporative cooling towers

Evaporative cooling towers are more complex (and higher risk) and come with specific procedures for shutting down to start with. These should have been followed when it became clear the building would be closed for several weeks or months.

As such, the only thing you should need to do here is to go through the starting up procedure to get things up and running again.

Consider your cleaning and disinfection processes to help combat legionella

Simple water systems are not likely to need either extra cleaning or disinfection unless there is a clear need. For example, a simple works kitchen may present no more danger than a regular home kitchen.

However, if you already have regular cleaning processes in place, along with disinfectant added to the water supply to combat bacteria levels, you should check these before reopening the building. The disinfectant levels will drop over time, and you may find you need to top them up before the water system can be considered safe again.

Buildings shut down during the summer could pose a bigger Legionnaires’ risk

Many countries have gone through their summer months with businesses closed throughout their towns and cities. Since Legionella bacteria thrive in warmer temperatures, this makes it even more important to take steps to combat the growth and spread of legionella during the coronavirus shutdown.

While many smaller businesses may have simple water systems that are easy to flush through and get running again, others may be at greater risk. In these scenarios, those responsible for the water system and building may never have faced this situation before. There may be isolated cases where a building has been shut for some reason, but many are facing a situation they have never experienced.

This makes professional advice and guidance even more important than ever. At a time when we are all still trying to keep cases of COVID-19 down, we would not want to be faced with outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease as well.

The outcome of so many buildings around the world opening their doors again remains uncertain. However, if you are faced with this challenge, know that formulating a plan and following through on all safety aspects is just the beginning – and that we are here to help.

Expert guidance on how to safely bring your buildings back-online

Our team of water safety experts have prepared a useful guide that sets-out a number of practical steps duty holders, the responsible person and others responsible for workplace safety should consider before they recommission their buildings and water systems following a period of inactivity such as a Covid-19 lock-down.

Download your water safety guide to re-opening buildings

Expert legionella risk management solutions

Legionella Control International is a world-leading legionella and water safety specialist. Our teams of experts support building owners, landlords and those responsible for the control of waterborne pathogens including legionella in the workplace, helping them to protect their staff, tenants and others and so meet their health and safety obligations in this specialist area.

We deliver a range of specialist risk management solutions including risk assessment, legionella testing, regulatory compliance auditing, training, expert witness support and other services that help keep people safe.

If you would like to speak with one of our specialists about managing your legionella risks call us today on 0330 223 36 86 or contact us here …

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