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TheNationalHealthService (NHS) in theUnitedKingdom, is responsible
for the running and provision of public sector health care services, and for
the operation of all the associated buildings. TheNHS has published its own
guidancedocuments–HealthTechnicalMemorandums2040and2027 in1993
and1994andthesehavesincebeenupdatedandarenowcalledHealthTechnical
Memorandum04-01.
Additionally, throughout the1990’s, guidancedocumentson
Legionella
and
risk reductionwere issued by the BritishAssociation of Chemical Specialities
(BACS)andalsoby theWaterManagementSociety(WMS).
In2001, theHealthandSafetyCommission,updated theHSG70document
and theApprovedCodeofPracticefirstpublished in1991, andcombined them
intoasingledocumenttitledL8–Legionnaires’disease.Thecontrolof
Legionella
bacteriainwatersystems.ThisdocumentwasfurtherupdatedinNovember2013
andisnowafourpartdocument.TheApprovedCodeofPractice(ACOP) isone
documentand isstilldesignatedasL8.Thereare threeguidancedocumentsand
theseareknownasHSG274part1, givingguidanceon theoperationof cooling
towers,HSG274part 2, givingguidanceon theoperationofhot andcoldwater
systems, andHSG274part3,givingguidanceon“otherwatersystem types”. [1]
There isanactivepolicyof theHSEvisiting sites topolice theguidance laid
out in thesedocuments.
Health and Safety Executive Involvement with Cooling Tower
Operators–Enforcement ofLegislationandGuidance
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
