The HSE’s ACOP (Approved Code of Practice) L8 and supporting HSG274 Parts 1-3 Guidance set the minimum standards by which everyone should work to manage the risks from waterborne microbiological pathogens. The NHS also has further supporting guidance on the subject in the form of HTM core standards 00, 04-01 (three parts), and HTM 03-01 (two parts). However, argues Andrew Poplett IEng, MIHEEM, ACIBSE, an experienced engineer with over 28 years’ healthcare building services engineering experience – 18 in the NHS – ‘even with all of this available guidance, some elements of healthcare building services engineering are all too often overlooked’. Here, ‘to stimulate discussion and raise awareness of the issues’, he sets out some of the key points to consider.
The fourth edition of the HSE L8 Legislation/ACoP has now been out since March 2013, and with the publication of the supporting HSG 274 guidance notes, there has been a fundamental shift in the emphasis and importance of ‘competence’, and appropriately accurate and ‘current’ written risk assessments.
The term ‘water risk assessments’ is frequently used when describing the obligations under L8, and the ACoP itself and associated guidance make several references to the risks of Legionella associated with water systems. However, it must be remembered that air carries a high level of moisture, and, if the air is cooled or comes into contact with colder surfaces, then this water will condense out of the air, and can form an environment within which Legionella can colonise and grow.
The HTM 03-01: Specialised Ventilation for Healthcare Premises, does make specific reference to the Legionella risks and the need to assess those risks; however this guidance is not clearly stated in either HTM 04-01 or L8/HSG 274. The requirement for glass traps and stainless steel drip trays in air-handling plant is a long-established healthcare standard; however the reason for these elements is not reinforced within the current guidance, and should not be forgotten. Additional issues can include ‘washable’ filter media, humidification, heat recovery coils, local DX coiling or air-conditioning units, and air intake plenums.
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