Improving standards in Legionella risk assessments

IHEEM Registered AE (Water), Steve Mount, BSc (Hons), CBiol, MRSB, FIHEEM, MWMSoc, discusses, on behalf of the IHEEM Water Technical Platform, the current standard of Legionella risk assessments seen in the healthcare community, and the improvements required to provide clients with the information they need to mitigate the risks from Legionella. 

From the early 19th century on, the UK produced numerous health and safety laws applicable to individual industries within different regions. The legislation focused on a variety of workplaces – including factories, offices, and railway premises, and there were often considerable inconsistencies between which laws applied where

The UK government recognised that such a broad spectrum of legislation for different sectors was both confusing and complex, and so in 1970 a committee was set up, led by Lord Robens, to propose a way forward. The resulting Robens Report made recommendations which led to introduction of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA), and the creation of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the regulatory authority for UK industrial occupational health and safety.