Legionella Policy
The Legionella Policy is a very important part of organisations overall Health and Safety Policy. The Legionella Policy document states what an organisation is going to do to complywith the Approved Code of Practice, Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems, L8:2001.
The HSE document “A Guide for Employers” states that for Preventing or Controlling the Risk – “Risks from legionella in water systems can be controlled, but careful planning, a successful management policy, competent staff and attention to proper control strategies are all essential”
• Companies must recognise that they have a duty under general health and safety law to consider the potential of exposing employees, contractors, residents and the general public to potentially harmful waterborne bacteria.
• The water systems in premises owned, managed, rented or operated by an organisation are to be, as far as reasonably practical, operated and maintained so as to control any such risk.
This policy addresses the organisation’s obligations under: -
• the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
• the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999
• the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
• the Approved Code of Practice, Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems (L8).
• It is the primary aim of this policy to ensure that the organisation complies with the above legislation and guidance
The HSE Recommendations from Barrow-In-Furness Legionella outbreak report
Failure 1: Poor Lines of Communication and Unclear Lines of Responsibility.
Organisations need to define the responsibilities and relationships within their Health and Safety policy, particularly where special expertise is called for. A clear policy allows managers, supervisors and team leaders to understand what is required from them and how they will be held accountable. Ignorance is no excuse for failing to address serious risk such as legionella.
A health and safety policy sets out a general approach and objectives, and the arrangements that have to be put in place for managing health and safety in a business. An organisations policy on health and safety, for example, help employees to understand what the employer expects of them, and how they should carry out certain activities. Clear policies will help your business identify and prevent potential risks to your employees and ensure that you comply with the law. Whether it is for a single location or for larger organisations with multiple departments and regional divisions, it is often practical to communicate a clear Legionella Control Policy to be followed. The Policy will enable the Organisation to establish and communicate a clear set of principles and commitments which can then be filtered down to all levels throughout the Organisation.
The Policy will resolve to offer the entire organisation a degree of cover, whilst also offering local departments a clear set of commitments to be implemented across the board. ChemTech Consultancy has developed and formulated Legionella Control Policies for small companies and large organisations. Housing Associations, in particular, need to include information on Void Policy and tenancy agreements. These companies, in the public or private sector, and associations have benefited by communicating a clear Legionella Control and Water Management Policy throughout their organizations.