BUPA has been fined £3million following the death of a service user who contracted Legionnaires' disease and died. This Health and Safety blunder will and can for sure work as a wake up call to those who may otherwise not take this too seriously. The risk factors here are huge and this is why and how legionella is never going to be something nor an area to ignore in terms of the wide scale damage it can do. The risk management of Legionella is something that really does need to be adhered to and overseen with a massive sense of responsibility.

The law is clear that if you are a landlord and rent out your property (or even a room within your own home) then you have legal responsibility also when it comes to the overall wider management of legionella. The maintenance of a water system in a clean state is an important part of managing the risk from legionella. This is the case for and with both hot and cold water systems. No matter the size or design of the system, this is something that needs to be looked into. The water management program team should regularly monitor water quality parameters, such as disinfectant residual and temperature levels. By monitoring these you can be sure that legionella can be much better controlled.

Generally the low amounts of these bacteria in freshwater do not lead to disease. However, Legionella can pose a health risk when it gets into building water systems and then comes into contact with humans. Legionnaires' disease afflicts and kills more people in the United States than any other reportable waterborne disease and off of the back this, this is why in no end of ways there are now international businesses looking to help combat this. Healthcare-associated Legionnaires' disease (LD) is a preventable pneumonia with a 30% case fatality rate and with this very fact there are companies developing software and devices to help with the management of legionella.

Legionella can be aerosolized from various water sources in the built environment including showers, faucets, hot tubs/swimming pools, cooling vents and many other areas. The fatality rate during an outbreak ranges from 5% to 30% in those who catch it and overall, it is vital in no end of ways to ensure there are the correct precautions in place to rid the risks of it. With all of this in mind, legionella management is something that will surely grow in stature in time to come.