Legionella Control International Comment On UK Legionnaires’ Disease Risk & Safety Rules Changes
Manchester, England (PRWEB UK) 3 December 2013 -- In what is being hailed as the most significant change to the safety rules dealing with the control of Legionella risks for over a decade, the UK’s Health & Safety Executive (HSE) have now published their new Approved Code of Practice (ACOP) L8 and guidance documents dealing with the management of Legionnaires' disease risks and the control of legionella bacteria in water systems.
Experts at Legionella Control International have recently conducted a detailed review the HSE’s new ACOP L8 and supporting documents, comparing them to the previous system of regulation and control, and have identified several important changes to the way in which Legionella risks should now be managed.
The main changes to the HSE’s ACOP L8 are summarised here:
1.Technical guidance has been removed from the ACOP L8 and now sits in a new document, HS274 which is split into three parts as follows:
HSG274
• Part 1 - Part 1 - cooling water systems.
• Part 2 - hot and cold water systems.
• Part 3 - other risk systems.
Note – Currently HSG274 Part 2 (hot and cold water systems) is issued as an interim document and is based on the previous ACOP L8. The updated HSG Part 2 will be published Q1 2014.
2.The new ACOP L8 makes clear reference to COSHH, HASAW Act, Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations and gives guidance on how to comply with these.
3.The new documents give improved guidance on how to comply with health and safety law.
4.The scope and application of the new documents are expanded and now include specific references to spa pools.
5. Details concerning “Carrying out a Risk Assessment” are no longer simply guidance, they are now specifically included in the new approved code of practice (Para 38) giving this aspect greater authority.
6. The previous ACOP L8 (former Para 38) stated that Legionella risk assessments must be reviewed after no more than two years. This constraint is now removed.
However, the new ACOP L8 states that they should be reviewed regularly or if there is a belief that the risk assessment is no longer valid. The ACOP gives a number of specific circumstances where risk assessments should be reviewed.
7.There is now the potential for the role of the “Responsible Person” to be an external party.
8. There is now more emphasis on the dissemination of information and discussion with employees. How this is achieved effectively should be given thorough consideration.
9. Details concerning the need to review control measures (former Para 61) are no longer simply guidance, they are now specifically included in the new approved code of practice (Para 61) giving this aspect greater authority.
10.The responsibilities of manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers have been expanded under the new ACOP L8 (Paras 76-81) to make them more onerous. Much of this was previously guidance only.
To help health and safety managers, business owners and those responsible for the management of risk systems understand the changes and ensure Legionella risk management procedures remain compliant with the law Legionella Control International will present a series of short breakfast briefings commencing mid-January 2014 at locations around the UK including London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Their breakfast briefings will cover the important changes to the HSE’s procedures, what they mean for those responsible and what needs to be done to remain compliant with the law.
About Legionella Control International
Legionella Control International are world leading Legionella specialists providing wholly independent and impartial consulting advice on all matters relating to the control, management and prevention of Legionella associated risks.
As Legionella experts they advise organisations across most commercial, industrial, healthcare, governmental and non-profit sectors.
Specialist consulting services are delivered through teams of experts who have national and international reputations for unambiguous and impartial advice across their specialist areas of expertise.
Contact
Jamie Tranter
General Manager
Legionella Control International
Statham House
Talbot Road
Manchester M32 0FP
United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 161 877 0586
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: http://www.legionellacontrol.com
John Dobson, Legionella Control International, http://www.legionellacontrol.com/, +44 161 877 0586, [email protected]
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