Legionella is a potentially harmful bacterium that grows in water systems if not properly maintained. Many businesses are unaware of the risks posed by this bacterium, which raises an important question: what is Legionella and how can it impact your workplace? Whether you manage a school, care home, office or other facility, understanding and addressing the risks of Legionella protects your premises and the people in them.
What is Legionella?
Legionella is a type of bacteria that’s spread through contaminated water droplets. This bacterium is usually spread in areas of warm, stagnant water, such as water tanks, showers, air conditioning systems and humidifiers. The bacteria are more commonly spread in public places like schools, care homes or leisure facilities and areas where water is left to stand for long periods.
The presence of Legionella in water can lead to Legionnaires’ disease in some cases, with the most common strain being Legionella pneumophila. Carrying out regular Legionella testing and risk assessments is important to keep your premises from the risk of a spread.
What illnesses does Legionella cause?
Under the right conditions, Legionella bacteria can lead to Legionnaires’ disease. While it’s a rare disease, the symptoms can be severe and even life-threatening, especially if the bacteria come into contact with those with weakened immune systems. Symptoms of the disease differ from person to person but usually include fever, nausea, confusion and diarrhoea amongst others.
In some cases, the bacteria can cause Pontiac fever, which is a milder, flu-like illness that, unlike Legionnaires’ disease, doesn’t lead to pneumonia. You may experience similar symptoms, but Pontiac fever usually goes away naturally.
In 2023, the estimated incidence of Legionnaires’ disease in England was 1 per 100,000 population, so it’s important to carry out Legionella testing to minimise risks wherever possible. The disease is still considered uncommon compared to other respiratory illnesses and nearly half of the reported cases in the UK are linked to travel abroad.
How does Legionella spread?
Legionella bacteria are spread through inhaling droplets of water from a contaminated source, such as air conditioning or hot tubs. Contrary to many beliefs, the bacteria don’t spread through drinking water that contains the bacteria or through person-to-person contact.
Understanding what is Legionella and how it spreads is key to preventing outbreaks. Common areas where Legionella is spread include areas where water sits for long periods, including:
- Cooling towers
- Showers and taps
- Hot tubs
- Air conditioning units
- Decorative fountains
Without regular Legionella risk assessments, premises may be at risk of Legionella outbreaks. Regular temperature checks of hot and cold water should also be carried out regularly, as well as standard maintenance of water systems, like cleaning and descaling.
Why should you care about Legionella growing and spreading?
Now we’ve established what Legionella is, it’s important to understand why preventing the spread of bacteria is crucial. Legionella growing and spreading poses a serious health risk, particularly in environments where water systems aren’t properly maintained. Outbreaks can happen in any industry – mainly places that have complex water systems and the potential for stagnant water, including schools, hospitals, offices, hotels and gyms. Because of this, property managers have a legal duty to prevent Legionella in water. If left untreated, the fatality risks can be high, which puts your employees, staff and the general public at risk.
Failing to manage risks can lead to legal and financial consequences, including lawsuits and regulatory penalties, as well as damage to the company’s reputation. Here at H2O Hygiene, we offer nationwide Legionella risk assessments to keep your premises compliant with legal requirements like the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, HSE Approved Code of Practice (ACoP L8) and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Just contact our team to get a free quote for our Legionella testing services.
Who is most at risk?
The risk of developing Legionnaires’ disease increases significantly with age and in those with underlying health conditions, as they find it more difficult to fight off infection. The most susceptible groups include:
- Elderly people
- People with weakened immune systems
- Smokers and heavy drinkers
- Those with chronic respiratory conditions
While not everyone exposed to Legionella bacteria will become ill, those in these high-risk categories are more likely to develop symptoms. The illness can be potentially fatal, but is usually treated with a course of antibiotics, which is why proactive prevention and water system maintenance are so important.
How to protect against the spread of Legionella
You can protect your facility against the spread of Legionella by properly managing and maintaining water systems to prevent conditions that allow the bacteria to grow. Keeping your premises compliant with current health and safety measures isn’t just a box to check; it’s a long-term commitment to keep your water systems safe.
Key preventative measures include:
- Regular cleans and flushes of water systems, especially unused outlets
- Descaling and disinfecting shower heads, taps and other fixtures
- Removing dead legs or redundant pipework to prevent stagnant water
- Maintaining hot water temperatures of 60°C and higher, distributed at 50°C or higher
- Maintaining cold water temperatures below 20°C
- Working with a trusted water services provider like H2O Hygiene to conduct Legionella risk assessments
To prevent outbreaks, regular Legionella risk assessments should be conducted every two years. With proper maintenance and protection in place, Legionella outbreaks remain rare and all associated risks are easily manageable.
Interested in booking a Legionella test for your business? Contact our experts today
If you want to protect your water hygiene system against risks of Legionella, contact our experts today, whether you need water treatment or Legionella remedial works or just want to discuss our options. Our experts are on hand at 01922 666108 or [email protected] to provide a free quote.
