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The National Health Service (NHS) in the United Kingdom, is responsible
for the running and provision of public sector health care services, and for
the operation of all the associated buildings. The NHS has published its own
guidance documents – Health Technical Memorandums 2040 and 2027 in 1993
and 1994 and these have since been updated and are nowcalledHealthTechnical
Memorandum 04-01.
Additionally, throughout the 1990’s, guidance documents on
Legionella
and
risk reduction were issued by the British Association of Chemical Specialities
(BACS) and also by theWater Management Society (WMS).
In 2001, the Health and Safety Commission, updated the HSG70 document
and the Approved Code of Practice first published in 1991, and combined them
into a single document titled L8 – Legionnaires’ disease.The control of
Legionella
bacteria inwater systems. Thisdocumentwas furtherupdated inNovember 2013
and is nowa four part document.TheApprovedCode of Practice (ACOP) is one
document and is still designated as L8. There are three guidance documents and
these are known as HSG274 part 1, giving guidance on the operation of cooling
towers, HSG274 part 2, giving guidance on the operation of hot and cold water
systems, and HSG274 part 3, giving guidance on “other water system types”. [1]
There is an active policy of the HSE visiting sites to police the guidance laid
out in these documents.
Health and Safety Executive Involvement with Cooling Tower
Operators – Enforcement of Legislation and Guidance
In the summer of 2012, the UK suffered a significant outbreak of
Legionnaires’ Disease which occurred close to the centre of Edinburgh
in Scotland. The outbreak started at the end of May 2012 and was finally
