LEGIONELLA TESTING
Legionnaire’s disease is a form of pneumonia which is the result of inhaling water that is contaminated by Legionella. As the manager of a commercial site, you are obligated to do what you can to prevent the growth of this bacteria, and conduct regular Legionella Testing to ensure that it isn’t present in your water. The temperature at which water is stored, the condition of the tanks and pipework and much more can affect the suitability of your system for Legionella to form, so it’s important to take the appropriate steps to avoid nurturing this harmful bacteria and check whether any is present.
THE PROCESS OF LEGIONELLA TESTING
Legionella Testing is a very important process to ensure that your commercial plumbing system is not hosting this dangerous bacteria. While you can actively work to prevent providing a hospitable environment for it, you still need to test for any traces, to keep the people on your site safe.
So, what does the Legionella testing process involve:
- One of our engineers will attend your site with a Legionella Testing bottle(s), which are provided by a UKAS-accredited laboratory
- They will collect water samples from multiple outlets on your site in the bottle(s)
- These samples will be sent to back to the UKAS-accredited laboratory, on the same day they were collected
- The laboratory will run tests to identify and investigate the presence of Legionella
- The results will be sent back to us
- We will provide a certificate containing these results to you
WHAT CAUSES LEGIONELLA BUILD UP?
There are a variety of factors which will impact the suitability of your water system for Legionella to develop. The main signs to be aware of when identifying a hospitable environment for the bacteria to grow are:
- When the water is stored between the temperatures of 20 and 45 degrees Celsius
- If the water remains stagnant for extended periods of time
- If the water contains nutrients that it can feed on, such as rust
HOW CAN YOU COMBAT LEGIONELLA?
Whether you’ve carried out Legionella testing and need to get rid of bacteria that is already present, or you’re simply trying to be proactive in preventing its buildup, there are numerous things you can do to combat the risk of Legionnaires’ Disease.
First things first, as the building manager (or equivalent role) you are legally responsible for the risk of Legionella on your site. You must identify and assess the source of the risks, then take appropriate action to prevent/manage these risks, while keeping a record of the actions taken, and keeping record of any test results.
The main way you should combat the buildup of Legionella is by making sure that you don’t provide a hospitable environment, as outlined above.
- Avoid storing water at the optimal temperature for growth.
- Replace pipework or tanks which contain notable amounts of rust or sediment buildup.
- Remove dead legs (pipework that leads to water outlets that are not / no longer used)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
FAQ: How often should I test for Legionella on my site?
We recommend that you should perform Legionella tests at least once a year, to ensure the safety of those on your site. It’s best practice to do so every 6 months, particularly on a site which has a large number of water outlets and water cylinders. When onboarding a new client for Legionella Testing, we will advise on our recommendation for your site, to guarantee both compliance and safety.
FAQ: How long does Legionella Testing take?
The actual visit during which we collect your water samples will vary in duration based on the amount of water outlets we need to check; however, it will usually take no more than one hour. We promptly send off the samples, and while it varies from cases to case, the lab will usually provide us results within 2-3 weeks.
FAQ: How much does Legionella Testing cost?
The cost of Legionella Testing will be directly linked to the size of the commercial site and the number of outlets that we have to collect samples from. One bottle can hold water samples from four outlets, meaning the cost will depend on the scale of your building and the plumbing system. Our quote will cover the entire process, including the cost of bottle(s), labour and delivery of the certificate. Call us on 01908 569031 for your quote, today.
WHY CHOOSE PLUMBING & GAS SOLUTIONS?
At PGS, we take great pride in providing an excellent service at every step of your Legionella testing project. This starts with our excellent admin team, who will support you throughout the process. We will arrange everything to be as convenient as possible for you and the people on your site. Once the admin team has organised everything, our experienced, highly-skilled plumbers will visit your site and take the samples, while causing minimal disruption to your day-to-day operations.
However, the best thing about using Plumbing & Gas Solutions is that after the results of the test are in, if there are any remedial works required, we can provide these promptly and reliably. Most commercial sites that are maintained properly will be compliant and won’t require any additional work. However, knowing that your Legionella testing partner can support you with any work that’s needed gives you one less thing to worry about.
