Use a checklist to regularly check the Legionella contamination in water systems and reduce the risk.
Use this legionella risk assessment form to evaluate the condition on site.
Download templateUse this template to get an overview of the water system of a facility and minimize the risk of legionellosis.
Download templateThis template can be used by maintenance teams to perform a risk assessment for legionella in buildings. The management system will also be reviewed.
Download templateUse this template for legionella risk assessment to check the installed water heating and storage facilities.
Download templateWith this template, maintenance personnel can record the temperature of the water outlets on a monthly basis, making it easy to track fluctuations.
Download templateA risk assessment for legionella is carried out in buildings to determine and control whether risk factors for legionnaires' disease are present. This is a severe form of lunar inflammation caused by bacteria called legionella.
It is a droplet infection that is transmitted via the air, more precisely through inhalation. Dangerous is the water mist that is created, for example, when using a tap with an aerator, when taking a shower or by poorly maintained air conditioning systems. Employers are required by law to assess and control the risks associated with Legionella - especially landlords, hotel operators and hospital administrators.
1. Why a checklist should be used
2. Risk factors that every checklist should cover
3. A digital solution for the hazard analysis of legionella
A checklist makes it easier for landlords or other responsible persons to check the water systems in their buildings for legionella. By using a checklist no point of examination is forgotten and everything is properly documented. This makes it easier to ensure a safe and workplace or living space for those present.
A legionella risk assessment checklist provides the inspector with a guide that enables him to conduct thorough inspections of water systems and comply with legal requirements to prevent the growth of legionella bacteria. It is important to carry out legionella inspections regularly. Legionnaires' disease can cause serious damage or even death to those affected by it.
The outbreak of legionnaires' disease in the US city of Flint, Michigan has reached negative fame worldwide. The infection crisis was triggered by a faulty drinking water supply that made tap water danger to the inhabitants of Flint. A faulty action that could have been prevented by early risk assessment and subsequent intervention.
In order to avoid getting into a similar situation and endangering human lives, the following three factors should always be included in a legionella risk assessment checklist so that property managers can effectively combat the legionella bacteria:
Inappropriately removed pipelines or rarely used drainpipes without regular water flow can cause stagnant water in piping systems - a primary breeding ground for legionella. For example, if a drain has been removed and the pipes that once led to it have been covered, an area is created where water accumulates.
This danger can be avoided by redesigning superfluous piping, by remeasuring the hot and cold water system and updating the complete schematic. This includes a new evaluation of the water flow, the water treatment program and a written scheme for combating legionella.
A further prerequisite for the rapid reproduction of legionella is the absence of residual disinfectants such as chlorine in cold water storage tanks. Routine cleaning and disinfection of the cooling towers and the hot and cold water systems should take place at least once every six months. The procedure should include the initial concentration of oxidising biocide used for the disinfection stages before and after cleaning, the contact time for each stage and the methods for carrying out the cleaning, including removal of packaging.
Warm water temperatures of 25-42 degrees Celsius (77°-108°F) favour the washing of legionella. Therefore, the temperature of hot and cold tap water should be at 50 degrees Celsius (122°F) or more or 20 degrees Celsius (68°F) or less, while the water temperature inside the boiler should be at or above 60 degrees Celsius (140°F). The installation of temperature sensors proactively helps to monitor the correct temperature ranges.
Property managers can effectively prevent legionella by regularly using a checklist, which can be used to check the condition, cleanliness and correct temperature of hot and cold water systems and document the data.
Using a mobile app like Lumiform instead of paper offers many advantages. Any risk assessment for legionella can be carried out simply by tablet or smartphone - online or offline. With the desktop software, the checklist is created, and later the data collected on-site is evaluated. This significantly reduces the risk of quality losses, documentation errors and damage to reputation.
Other advantages of a digital checklist for Legionella are: