248
The Legislative Background
Legionella
, is an organismwhich exists in low numbers in many natural
water systems. From this environment it presents little or no risk. However,
when it entersmanmadewater systems, inpublic and commercial buildings,
factories and production plants, it may find the opportunity to grow and
develop into numbers where it can present a significant risk to health.
In the United kingdom, Health and Safety is policed by the Health and
Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE is the national independent watchdog for
work-related health, safety and illness. It is an independent regulator and
acts in the public interest to reduce work related death and serious injury
across workplaces in Great Britain.
In the UK, with regard to
Legionella
, there is no shortage of guidance
and legislative documents. In 1987, the first guidance note, called EH48,
was published by the HSE. This Guidance Note was published after a
public enquiry into an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease which occurred at
StaffordGeneral Hospital in 1983. That outbreak resulted in the deaths of 33
people. The Guidance note was followed in 1991 by an enhanced legislative
document called HSG70 along with an Approved Code of Practice – the
ACOP. These documents were an attempt to get building and production
plant owners and operators, to manage their water systems to a standard
which was designed to reduce the risk posed by the
Legionella
organism.
The documents were “legislative” in that they could be used in a court of
law to assist in obtaining prosecutions as a result of increasing levels of risk
created by operating water systems outside of the recommended guidelines.
In 1991, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers also
publishedtheirownguidanceandbestpracticedocumententitled“Minimizing
the Risk of Legionnaires’ Disease. “ This document was updated in 2013.
