Are letting agents getting it wrong regarding landlords’ Legionella responsibilities? It would seem so, according to a report issued on the UK’s Health & Safety Executive website. It would appear that some letting agents and property management consultants assume far more must be done in this sector than is actually required by law.
For landlords and business owners, there is a requirement to assess whether or not any risks are present in relation to Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease from their water systems. In some cases, the risks may be minimal and no steps may need to be taken to deal with them. However, even if this is the case, a Legionella risk assessment should always be undertaken. Proper records shoul
Testing and regularly monitoring cold water temperatures to ensure the water remains at a temperature of less than 20°C is an important legionella risk management task. Find out how to do it with this short video.
If an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever is suspected, it is of paramount importance to obtain a definitive diagnosis in all those who may have fallen ill. To do this there are a number of preferred tests that are used to assist in the identification and diagnosis and these include the urinary antigen test, but also obtaining cultures, usually from the patients mucus to determine
According to the UK’s NHS, Legionnaires’ disease cannot be spread from one person to another. Instead, it is caused by inhaling droplets of water that have been contaminated with Legionella bacteria. However, a recent case identified in Portugal bucks that trend
Do you have responsibility for the control of a particular building or facility, either as a manager, an employer, property owner or a landlord? If you do then the UK’s Health & Safety Executive will often refer to you as the duty holder, and you may well have a legal duty to identify and manage any risks that are associated with Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease at that facility.
The chances are you may not be familiar with pseudomonas. This is a bacterium that falls into the gammaproteobacteria class. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a common gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium that is capable of causing disease in humans – particularly those that may potentially occur in hospitals. These are commonly-known as hospital-acquired infections or, more properly, nosocomial infection
In part one of this article about controlling Legionnaires’ disease in water systems, we looked at the importance of Legionella risk assessments, water safety risk management and the prevention and control of risks in relation to Legionnaires’ disease. There are three further areas you must be aware of if you are responsible for a water system of any kind, either as a landlord or an employer.
Legionella is a form of bacteria that is capable of causing Legionnaire’s disease, a rare but potentially fatal lung infection. While employers should be aware of their responsibilities and the actions required to control Legionnaires’ disease, they are not the only people who may need to be concerned with this subject. The control of Legionella and Legionnaires’ disease in the work place fa
In part one of this article, we explored the need to perform a Legionella risk assessment if you are a residential or buy to let landlord. Here, we will delve into whether you are the best person to perform the legionella risk assessments, and anything else that may be required of you to control the risks associated with Legionnaires’ disease and ultimately comply with the law.