Legionella - Energy Institute

The Energy Institute (EI) has released an updated guide to help offshore industries control the risks of Legionella bacteria in water systems.
This follows an outbreak of the Legionnaires’ disease in Edinburgh last month which resulted in two deaths and 44 people affected.
Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of lung infection, which results from purpose-built water systems and is caught by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water.
Commenting on the guide, Lynne Morgan, Chair of the EI Occupational Health and Hygiene Committee said: “It addresses specific operating practices unique to some specific energy industry installations. The problem for industry is that water systems can become heavily contaminated with potentially lethal bacteria.”
Matthew Garwood, Health and Safety Manager at Property Services firm DTZ is encouraging company managers to monitor and maintain water systems regularly.
He said: “Evaporative cooling systems are often associated with larger outbreaks but it is also important to note that domestic water services, consisting of taps, basins and showers, are regularly implicated as the source of smaller and more isolated incidents of Legionnaires Disease. Facilities managers of buildings of all sizes need to be vigilant and have robust procedures in place.”