Legionella - the hidden danger Legionnaires’ disease is a type of pneumonia. It was named after a severe outbreak that killed a number of those attending a meeting of the American Legion in 1976. It is a serious disease that can be fatal. Under the Health & Safety Act (1972) and specifically the ACOP L8 guidelines, all employers and those with a responsibility for a building’s premises are required to have in place measures to guard against Legionella. Are you compliant with Health & Safety legislation? As part of the legislation, regular temperature checks must be carried out and recorded to ensure that water systems are operating correctly and not at risk of a Legionella outbreak. Legionella bacteria are most virulent at temperatures between 20 – 45°C and will not survive above 60°C. Proactive monitoring of your water system can avoid the dangers of Legionella waterBOX is the solution to help you with this monitoring and potentially save lives. Legionella - what are the risks? Not having procedures in place for the monitoring and protection against Legionella infection can result in a negative impact both on businesses & health.

Fine for Legionnaires’ cider firm Cider maker HP Bulmer and its water treatment contractor Nalco have each been fined £300,000 over a fatal outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease. Two people died and more than 20 others fell ill in Hereford in 2003, the city’s crown court heard. Trust fined for legionella levels A hospital on Merseyside where two patients died of Legionnaires’ disease has been fined almost £48,000. Unsafe levels of bacteria were found in the water supply at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in a probe by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The hospital, which admitted breaching health and safety law, stopped testing its water between 2006 and 2007, Liverpool Magistrates Court heard. Two patients, one from Warrington and one from the Isle of Man, later died. Manchester care home fined over Legionnaires’ risk A care home company has been fined £5,000 after putting elderly residents in Manchester at risk of catching Legionnaires’ disease. SJ Care Homes Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the company failed to comply with an enforcement notice issued at one of its nursing homes.