legionella Risk Assessment Archives

How much should my Legionella risk assessment cost?

1 February 2023
Legionella control, Legionella Risk Assessment, Legionnaires disease

Legionella risk assessments: We are all faced with the current climbing inflation across products and services that we require. Compliance can be a huge concern, and we all want the best value without compromising the quality and level of service we receive from our suppliers.

This blog will hopefully shed some light on how to get a fair price for your legionella risk assessment and how you can compare your quotes against each other, allowing you to decide what you are confident with.

As a starting point, visit the legionella control association website, https://www.legionellacontrol.org.uk. All approved LCA Members must provide a range of products and services for the control of legionella bacteria in water systems. They would have also demonstrated that they have complied with the LCA Code of Conduct and LCA Service Standards and are committed to helping their customers prevent legionellosis and keep their water systems safe. The website allows you to search a directory of approved contractors within your area.

How much will a Legionella risk assessment cost?

A Legionella risk assessment is a consultancy service that will require a physical visit to your site, and follow-on report writing time to produce your document. For your chosen contractor, to provide an accurate quotation for your site, they will first need to establish how long the report will take to complete. Once this is figured out, multiply the time by a day rate, and bingo! A price.

Estimating how long a survey will take is a fine art, but there are some variables

Ask what the standard day rate is for a surveyor, but be careful, some include administration time some don’t. Ask the question.

Geography?

Where is the site? Or where are the sites? Travel time is working time, and you pay for it. Ideally, you’ll use someone local if you have a big single site or cluster of buildings, but sometimes this isn’t practical. If you have multiple sites, you can get some great reductions from contractors out of your area allowing you to compare multiple quotes. Also, these are fun for the surveyors. Here at Dantek, we assess nationwide contracts including retail, care homes, and even memorial parks. The attending assessors have a great time traveling across the country.

Once you understand the logistics of getting the surveyor to and from the site, how long will they be there? The two big factors in this debate are what water services do you have? And how hard will they look?

Water Assets and system complexity?

I have seen many different approaches to convey what is on-site, varying from line-item asset registers, and copies of the previous risk assessments to lists of the gross internal areas of properties. The surveyor’s point of view generally stems from, how difficult is this system going to be for me to understand and how many assets will I have to survey. For example, a large modern office block could seem like a big beast but may only have a plant room in the basement, a single wet riser by the lift shaft, toilets and kitchenettes on each floor plus a couple of cleaners cupboards, simple. In contrast, a stately home converted to halls of residence can contain multiple systems and a dog’s breakfast of assets and pipework that would reduce the finest to tears.

Legionella risk assessment – Top tip: Give what information you have, including building use, number of storeys, and location

The industry refers to all hot and cold-water systems for toilets, sinks, showers etc. as domestic systems. These are almost universally included in risk assessments, but what about cooling towers, industrial uses of water, humidifiers, water features, and medical equipment? The survey should cover all water assets in one way or another.

In the industry, we benefit from huge amounts of experience so in talking about your buildings we build a picture of what we are dealing with, by being as honest and open as you can get the most realistic estimate possible.

Begin with the end in mind

The Legionella risk assessment certainly ticks a box for compliance but if done well is a tremendous source of information regarding your water assets. Think about practical outputs, for example, how do you expect to see non-compliances reported? Do you want them separated in a way you could pass to a mechanical contractor or your onsite plumbing team?

Talking to your suppliers about Legionella control in a wider context beyond the risk assessment can pay dividends in understanding how the document could support your efforts to implement a successful control regime later on. You’ll be amazed at what you can get for free during the risk assessment process just by asking, consider;

Do you want accurate schematics drawn in AutoCAD?
Would it be handy if the pipe runs are overlaid on your existing building schematics?
Would you like an electronic copy of the asset register in excel?
Do you want the assets in an electronic logbook?

At the end of the day

All Legionella risk assessment quotes have at their core have an estimation of how long the survey is going to take and the report to produce, as a buyer you should understand and be comfortable that your supplier will do a job that is acceptable to you in the time they have quoted. Industry rates vary from £350.00 to £600.00 per day for a qualified Legionella risk assessor as a guideline.

There are many decent companies out there, and all of them should welcome sensible discussions on the big question – how long is it going to take?

Dantek is a specialist provider of Legionella control services including Legionella risk assessments.

If you have any further questions or would like to speak to one of our sales team, please call us on 01454 417920 or e-mail sales@dantek.co.uk

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Employee profile: Darren Grant Legionella Risk Assessor

15 October 2018
Legionella control

Legionella risk assessment jobs — Carrying out a Legionella risk assessment

When did you join Dantek?

I was the very first employee at Dantek when I joined the company in 2003! I started my career as a Water Hygiene Engineer; cleaning tanks, temperature monitoring and descaling showers.

I started at bottom and worked my way up to now being one of the lead Legionella risk assessors at Dantek. I have carried out over 2000 legionella risk assessment surveys and reports, so have built up a vast breadth of knowledge from straight forward domestic hot and cold water systems to cooling towers and industrial process systems.

Becoming a Legionella risk assessor?

Becoming a qualified Legionella risk assessor takes time and for me evolved from being a Water Hygiene Engineer. It starts with on the job training, learning about identification of risk while temperature monitoring and carrying out checks on water systems. Dantek have a training programme for legionella risk assessors which includes class room based learning, practical training and mentor assessment. Once this has been satisfactorily completed the next step is to qualify with City and Guilds, WMS courses in risk assessment.

I feel experience is the thing which really qualifies you and this can only happen over time. You need understanding in order to assess risk. It is vitally important to understand a system for example; when risk assessing a cooling tower you have to know how they work and what chemicals are being used to treat the system, in order to know how this may impact the assessment of risk in regard to legionella bacteria.

Where do you start when carrying out a legionella risk assessment?

I assess holistically and always from first principle, by starting at the point at which the mains water enters the building and tracing the water systems from the mains, cold water tanks or calorifiers. It is important to gather as much information from the client, especially about the management of Legionella control on the site and who are the key responsible people involved with managing the risks identified.

What challenges do you come across?

Buildings can be deceptive from the outside, often a seemingly straight forward building from the outside can house a complicated process system which can be challenging, but also the most satisfying to assess.

The report writing can be challenging as the assessment of risk can take time to work out once all the data has been collected and considered.

What work are you most proud of?

Definitely the work I have carried out for the NHS. I know the guidance; HTM 04-01 inside out and have built up a really strong relationship with Plymouth Livewell and Wonford Hospital, both of which I have worked with for over 10 years. It is a big responsibility to be working where there are high risk populations but also satisfying to know your work is making a difference.

What do you enjoy about your job?

I enjoy the variety of the work and going to quirky places for example risk assessing an abattoir or a military base. Schools can be challenging particularly when the students are there as they can be very curious about what you are doing.

I enjoy the flexibility of my work, and value the trust and level of responsibility I have at Dantek.

I have a really good friendship with Martin Kingdon (Technical Director) stretching back to pre-Dantek days, and have received a huge amount of support from Martin over the years. His knowledge of Legionella is vast and I can always turn to him for guidance and reassurance when dealing with the more technical assessments I come across.

What do you like doing for fun?

I love spending time with family and going on holidays. I am a lifelong passionate surfer, there is nothing better than being out on a wet winters day when no-one is around. I am also a big fan of Formula 1 and relish the chance to catch up on the latest Grand Prix on a Sunday evening.

When does a Legionella risk assessment need to be updated?

4 October 2018
Legionella control, Legionnaires disease

Legionella risk assessment update — How often should a legionella risk assessment be reviewed?

Keeping a legionella risk assessment current and up to date is a requirement under Health and Safety law. By following the 6 key indicators below you will know when an update is required, or if your risk assessment is current and valid and no further actions are required until the next review.

The ACoP L8 does not state a set timeframe for a legionella risk assessment to be updated, it is not a requirement to update it annually or biennially, as so often thought. The frequency of the update will depend on the risks associated with any given system defined in the risk assessment document and changes which effect it over time.

The risk assessment must be updated when the Duty holder reviews it and believes it is no longer current or valid. Depending on the risks associated with the system this could be years’ for a low risk property where nothing has changed, to much more regular updates for a high risk system.

A Dantek legionella risk assessment document will suggest a review date based on the risk factors identified, but should any of the following 6 changes occur in the meantime the risk assessment must be updated at that point.

Even for low risk properties where no further actions were required as a result of the risk assessment, the control measures put in place must be maintained and monitored to ensure they remain effective. The assessment of risk is therefore an ongoing process.

Duty holders must make arrangements to review the legionella risk assessment regularly and also if they believe it is no longer valid.

There are 6 key indicators to know when to review a legionella risk assessment. If any of the following occur then the risk assessment must be reviewed and any changes updated within the document.

6 key indicators to review a legionella risk assessment

1. The water system has been changed or is being used differently
2. The building use changes
3. New information becomes available about the risk or control measures
4. Monitoring indicates the control measures set out in the risk assessment are no longer effective
5. Key changes of personnel, for example; the Duty holder or Responsible person identified in the legionella risk assessment
6. There has been an outbreak of legionnaires’ disease associated with the system

Change to the water system or use

Changes to the water system could include for example; the addition or removal or cold-water storage tanks or other assets such as calorifiers. Changes in pipework or the lay out of the system will also need to be assessed and included in an update. Changes to any given water system can result in deadlegs being inadvertently created, which can provide an environment for legionella bacteria to grow and multiply. It is often the case that changes to a water system can cause little used outlets which again can provide a habitat for legionella bacteria to thrive. These factors would impact the risk associated with a system so the risk assessment and control measures would have to be updated to reflect this.
Up to date schematic drawings showing the lay out of the system within a building must be included within a legionella risk assessment. Should the layout change or any of the assets identified on the schematic change then the drawing must be updated to reflect these alterations. A schematic of a domestic hot and cold water system will include cold water storage tanks, calorifiers, showers, water softeners, pumps, strainers and all outlets within a system.

2. Changes to the building use

Changes to the use of the building can impact the risk if the people using the building are considered to be at a higher risk of infection and are more susceptible to legionnaires’ disease. Alternatively if the use of the water in the building changes, for example; less people are using the building so the water in the system stagnates and little used outlets are effectively created. A building can have an oversized amount of stored water if the use changes from residential to commercial for example.
The risk assessment must also be updated if there is any new construction work which affects the water system. The building of an annex or extension to a property must be reflected in the risk assessment. Clearly any plant or assets which are removed need to also be updated and the impact of this considered in relation to legionella bacteria.

3. Changes to current HSE guidance

A legionella risk assessment should be updated in light of any changes made to the current HSE guidance for the prevention and control of Legionnaires’ disease. When changes are made to the guidance documents it is important to implement these recommendations into the control scheme should they be relevant to your site.

4. Monitoring is no longer effective

The risk assessment will provide the basis for the control scheme and the monitoring which will take place to ensure the control measures are effective. If the monitoring results indicate the control measures are not working or are ineffective then it is crucial to review the legionella risk assessment to make alterations to the regime or recommend an alternative method of controlling the risk of legionella bacteria growing within the system.

5. Changes to key personnel

It is a requirement for employers to appoint an individual(s) to take responsibility for managing the risk from legionella bacteria on their sites. Therefore; should any of these key people change the risk assessment must be updated to reflect exactly who is responsible for what tasks.
Key personnel can include the following:
Statutory site duty holder – a senior executive with budgetary control who ensures that the operation complies with the law, by appointing and overseeing a competent responsible person.
Nominated responsible person – senior staff member who holds budget. This person reports to the duty holder and have day to day responsibility for ensuring that operational duties are carried out in a timely and effective manner, and ensure adequate training and competence of themselves, operational staff and any contractors or subcontractors. This person is also responsible for the accurate audit of the site log book.
Operational staff – duties include inspection, monitoring, implementing, record keeping and carrying out remedial actions. There should be adequate records of their on-going training and regular assessment of their competence.

6. An outbreak of legionnaires’ disease

An outbreak of legionnaires’ disease where the source of infection is traced back to a specific system a complete review of the control measures, records and practice will be investigated. The risk assessment will need to be reviewed to see whether the control measures were being followed correctly and what changes and improvements can be made to prevent any further outbreaks and to reduce the risk to an acceptable level.

Summary

Carrying out a legionella risk assessment is the first step to preventing and controlling legionella bacteria, however it is a process and must be kept up to date for it to remain effective. It is possible for the Duty holder or Responsible person to make some of the changes to the risk assessment document themselves particularly for minor amendments which can often result from a desktop audit. For the more complicated system changes it may be advisable to contact your water hygiene service company and seek their advice about how to update the assessment. By keeping your risk assessment up to date and current you will take comfort from the fact that you are taking all the correct actions to prevent and control the risk of legionnaires disease within the properties you are responsible for.

Further reading:
• ACoP L8 4th edition “The control of legionella bacteria in water systems”.
• HSE HSG274 Legionnaires’ disease: Part 2: The control of legionella bacteria in hot and cold-water systems.
• BS8580:2010. Water quality – Risk assessments for Legionella control – Code of practice.

Call us today on 01454 417 920 or e mail sales@dantek.co.uk

Competitive prices for Landlord Legionella Risk Assessments

21 February 2018
Legionella control

Dantek offer a solution for Landlords who are required to carry out legionella risk assessments on multiple residential properties. These can often be low risk properties with a domestic hot and cold-water system, often mains fed with no stored water and a high usage every day. However, a legionella risk assessment is still required to comply with the HSE guidance for Legionella control.

Our low-cost solution, utilising an automated process so our fully trained assessors can quickly produce a full report, with a scored outcome so managers can easily prioritise any further actions required.

Nationwide coverage for low cost Legionella Risk Assessment suitable for:

Local Authorities
Housing Associations
Private sector Landlords
Housing Co-operatives
Hostels

Why choose Dantek?

We are Water Hygiene specialists who have been carrying our Legionella risk assessments for over 15 years.
Our assessors are all trained and qualified to carry out the assessment competently.
Our support staff are very experienced at arranging access with tenants.
Our assessors behave with empathy towards tenants and respect they are entering their homes.

More information can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/legionella-landlords-responsibilities.htm

Or call Dantek for a quote on your properties 01454 417920

Legionella risk assessment of large NHS site

29 February 2016
Legionella control

Carrying out a full Legionella Risk Assessment of a large hospital in Devon will take our highly experienced risk assessors two months to complete.

The HSG274 part 2 and the HTM 04-01 are both taken into consideration for these healthcare premises. Our engineers have also been tasked with tracing all the pipework and providing up to date schematic drawings to include primary, subordinate and tertiary loops.

As part of the project we are producing accurate as installed drawings showing all pipe routes. These are being produced in AutoCad over the existing floor layouts provided by the hospital.

James said “it is a large scale, complex project but we have a plan and a well thought through schedule, our legionella risk assessment document really does provide the customers with a high level of detail specific to their site, it is so good to work on something challenging that I know is going to benefit patients”.