In January of this year, the HSE released new documentation, titled "HSG282: The control of legionella and other infectious agents in spa-pool systems". If you're a facilities manager within the leisure industry, you work at a hotel or a site that owns a spa pool, it's imperative that you understand and abide by the guidance within the publication.

A quick summary: What is says

The HSE recognised the legionella risk that spa pools pose long ago, and outlined these in their 2006 document, "Management of spa pools: Controlling the risks of infection", which is now withdrawn.

The new HSG282 publication contains new findings and updates on legionella and how to best control it in spa pools' systems. More specifically, it contains detailed information on:

Legislative Requirements

• The health and safety law, including 'The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999', 'Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974' and other relevant legionella related legislation.
• Enforcement - the regulatory bodies that enforce these laws are the HSE and Local Authorities (for spa pools in business settings, it is usually the Local Authority).
• What legionella is and how outbreaks are often found in spa pools that are in "leisure centres, hotels, holiday homes, cruise ships and those on display".
• How businesses can identify and assess legionella risks in spa pools and what these risks are.
• The importance of detailed legionella understanding, monitoring and general competence.
• How to control legionella risk through a tailored plan that is specific to the spa pool, and what this written plan should contain.
• What kind of records must be kept and for how long.
• How to respond to accidents and emergencies.
• The responsibilities of various people involved, from designers and manufacturers to supplies and installers.

Types and Settings

• An overview of the different types of spa pools, including hot tubs, whirlpool baths and natural spa pools, and the risks that they pose.
• The environments that these spa pools are often found in, and the differing risks that are present there - for example, residents in a healthcare setting are more vulnerable to legionella as they may have a compromised immune system.

Design and Commissioning

• The various laws that spa pools must be designed and constructed to comply with, for example "Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulations 2015".
• How spa pools must be constructed, including the materials they should be made with and Water Supply (Watering Fittings) Regulations 1999.
• How the design of spa pools must achieve successful circulation in order to avoid water standing still within the system as stagnation could lead to legionella outbreak.
• The importance of commissioning (tested and disinfected) and how this should be done in a spa pool.

Operation and Maintenance

• Guidance of how to keep spa pools clean, how to operate them and maintain them to avoid bacterial risk.
• How to carry out routine disinfection.
• Information on how volume of water and operating temperature can contribute to legionella risk.
• The use of various disinfectants.

Testing and Monitoring Water Quality

• How to monitor water quality in spa pools.
• The importance of routine sampling and how this can be achieved.
• How to test for legionella bacteria in spa pools.

For a more thorough outline of the differences between the old document and the updated one, read our blog 'The new HSE guidance on legionella and spa pools for the leisure industry'.

Whilst the guidance itself is not compulsory to follow, the HSE have made it clear that abiding by best practices within the document will ensure that duty holders and businesses are doing enough to adhere to regulations, and therefore, are controlling the risk of legionella.

Take your next step towards compliance and find out more about the legionella risks that your facilities might hide, download our free guide, 'The top legionella risks in hotels and how to address them'.