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Although nine out of 10 Legionnaires' disease cases are preventable, older workers and those with compromised immune systems continue to be diagnosed each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
As cases continue to increase, companies and EHS managers should have effective testing and water management plans in place to prevent Legionella, the bacteria which causes Legionnaires' disease, from spreading through a facility's water supply.
To reduce risk of an outbreak in your facility, five steps can be taken to make sure workers are safe from the respiratory illness.
Step One: Validate the Effectiveness of Your Water Management Plan
With ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, Legionella water management programs are now an industry standard for large buildings in the United States.2 Large facility water systems can be complex and harbor pathogens. Maintenance, renovations and service interruptions can cause even more hazardous conditions. Routine testing for Legionella pneumophila is the only way to determine if your water management plan is working. “Water sampling is critical to determining whether Legionnaires’ disease bacteria are present and at what levels," OSHA states in its guidelines for Legionnaires' disease.3
Step Two: Test for Legionella pneumophila
A single species of Legionella bacteria, Legionella pneumophila is the primary cause of...