As the premier commercial plumbing and heating partner in Milton Keynes, we have a wide array of clients who require many different services, and this allows us to keep our finger on the pulse with where people can sometimes get confused.
One point of misunderstanding we have recently notices is that people don’t know the difference between a Legionella Risk Assessment and Legionella Testing.
So, let’s answer that question!
What is Legionella Testing?
Legionella Testing is the process of actively checking whether or not there is bacteria currently in your commercial water system. There will not be any investigation of the threats or risks of Legionella, it’s just a check of whether or not it is present.
This is a regular check that you need to perform every year (or more regularly if your site has a higher risk of legionella, for example if you have cooling towers or a pool on site) to ensure that your staff aren’t at risk of contracting Legionnaire’s Disease.
You can find out more about the specific process of Legionella Testing, on our website.
Who can perform Legionella Testing?
Plumbing & Gas Solutions can!
Our team can manage the entire process of your Legionella Testing, from the collection of the samples, all the way to the delivery of your certificate. Thanks to our friendly admin team, highly-skilled plumbers and UKAS-Accredited Laboratory, we can provide prompt, reliable Legionella Testing services and ensure that your site is compliant.
Plus, at PGS, not only can we support you with the Legionella Testing itself, we are also the perfect commercial plumbing partner to fulfil any remedials that follow afterwards.
What comes after Legionella Testing?
What happens following your Legionella test will depend on the results. For the majority of businesses, this will simply consist of us sending you the certificate to confirm that you are compliant, and then you won’t have to worry about anything else.
If your site’s test comes back indicating the presence of bacteria, we will immediately schedule a return visit to your site to survey your water system and identify remedial works which will allow us to prevent further bacteria buildup, and then we will fully flush out your system to ensure that none of the water is contaminated. Once we have completed the appropriate works, we can then test the water again to give you peace of mind and ensure full compliance with HES regulations.
What is a Legionella Risk Assessment?
A Legionella Risk Assessment is an assessment which seeks to identify any factors or characteristics of your water system which may increase the risk of Legionella bacteria building up.
This does not involve actually testing for any bacteria and will not provide any information on the presence of the bacteria. This will simply focus on recognising the threats, and to assess the risk levels, and identify remedial works you will need to perform to reduce this risk where possible.
By referring to an extensive checklist / and surveying all of the assets within your water system, this assessment will cover every possible thing that could lead to the buildup of the bacteria.
Who can perform a Legionella Risk Assessment?
There are two options for performing one of these Risk Assessments; either the site manager of the building in question; or a trained external Risk Assessor.
If you or an assigned ‘responsible person’ from within your organisation perform the assessment, the person in question must have:
- An intimate knowledge of the site’s water system including all of the assets
- Sufficient authority and competence to be held responsible for the safety of your site and the people working or visiting there
- Sufficient understanding of Legionella and what causes the bacteria to build up
- The ability to implement or organise the required remedial works to make whatever changes are required.
If you are not confident that you will be able to perform a sufficiently comprehensive Legionella Risk Assessment, we strongly advise you to reach out to a professional organisation who specialise in these assessments.
While we can’t support you with Risk Assessments, PGS can perform any necessary remedial works.
How often do you need to perform a Legionella Risk Assessment?
Regulations dictate that you must have a Legionella Risk Assessment performed every two years. However, you will need to review it if:
- There are any changes to the water system or appliances which connect to said system,
- The use of the site or water system notably changes,
- There is an indication of legionella bacteria or evidence suggesting a potential legionella outbreak.
- Regular checks [we’ll address these later in this blog!] suggest that
Legionella Pre-planned Maintenance Contracts
At Plumbing & Gas Solutions, we have extensive experience with providing bespoke Legionella PPM contracts for our clients, which allow us to perform regular checks, to ensure that your water system is running as it should be, and identify the risk of Legionella bacteria build-up before it’s too late.
From monthly or even weekly temperature checks to bi-annual appliance checks and annual servicing, we will walk you through all our recommended maintenance for your systems to find the best solution for your business. After ironing out exactly what you want, our fantastic team of plumbers will provide this maintenance and our helpful admin team will ensure that all the scheduling and renewals are handled for you with minimal paperwork and hassle.
