- June 1, 2020
- Posted by: Water Hygiene Services
- Category: LCA, Legionella, News
As lockdown eases and the UK move towards being back to work and some schools across the country reopen we look at the Legionella Control Association guidance on reopening buildings.
Water Hygiene Services’ Managing Director Ben Baldwin was quoted in the Yorkshire Evening Post discussing the importance of recommissioning water systems on unsued buildings. The following guidance from the LCA has since been provided;
“Simply reopening a building that has stood idle, without addressing the safety of its water system is unacceptable. If dutyholders are not able to put in place a proper recommissioning process to use the water system safely, they should not reopen the building. In addition to legionella risk, drinking water retained within buildings may no longer be potable following a period of prolonged stagnation.
“Buildings that have remained empty with static water systems, or those that have been subject to limited flushing that does not represent normal usage, will require recommissioning. Those that have remained in normal use or where flushing has approximated normal usage (evidenced by water meter readings) may still require additional control measures”.
“Recommissioning a building water system can be at various levels of intervention and the level of work and investment should be appropriate for the risk. For very simple buildings flushing alone may be sufficient but for most buildings some form of disinfection is likely to be needed. In the worst cases, repeat disinfection and extensive cleansing flushing may be required to clear contamination”.
“During the COVID-19 period there may have been a number of factors that will increase both legionella risk in water systems and the risk of legionellosis”.
If you would like to discuss a recommissioning job or you would like advice on a building which has been unused during lockdown please contact a member of the team today.