As legionella awareness increases, regulators update and improve their guidance, and health and safety professionals strive to exceed expectations, there are set to be many changes in the legionella control world in 2017. Here are our predictions for the year ahead, and advice on how you can best protect your business against Legionnaires’ disease and regulatory non-compliance.

Updates to technical guidance

HSG274 is a HSE publication that provides organisations with specialised and technical guidance on how to control legionella. It currently consists of three parts:

• Part 1: The control of legionella bacteria in evaporative cooling systems
• Part 2: The control of legionella bacteria in hot and cold water systems
• Part 3: The control of legionella bacteria in other risk systems

In the new year there will be a fourth addition to the guide detailing the legionella risks in spa pools, which have become popular in hotels, leisure centres and private housing. This increase in popularity must be met with appropriate guidance to avoid an increase in Legionnaires’ disease cases, as was the case in 2012 when an outbreak occurred at a DIY warehouse where a hot tub on display was not cleaned correctly – leading to three fatalities.

The addition will be an updated version of PHE’s 2006 publication, Management of spa pools: controlling the risks of infection, and will include advice to employers on how to meet their regulatory requirements and protect their workers and residents to a sufficient standard.  

Social care crisis set to worsen

The 2016 State of Care Report has revealed that adult social care is in a state of crisis. Almost half of providers were unable to improve their services in 2016, and nearly one in ten (8%) were described as inadequate by the CQC.

The fragility of the adult social care sector could potentially contribute to an increase in the number of legionella cases in the new year, as many care homes will struggle to find the time, money and expertise to tackle the risks appropriately.

A trend of healthier buildings

By contrast, we expect to see improvements in many work environments through 2017 as facilities managers take on more responsibility in their role as a “healthcare worker” to their workforce. The importance of this role will be highlighted in new research by the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Chan School, which states that your facilities manager could be more responsible for your overall health than your doctor, according to FM World.

The UK Green Building Council is behind this view, with more and more research demonstrating that green buildings lead to increased employee health and productivity. With the advent of smarter buildings and better monitoring of issues around air quality, ventilation, and water tanks and pipes, it’s inevitable that more sophisticated methods for legionella control will also start to spring up.

Heavier fines for those who don’t comply

In early 2016, the HSE introduced new sentencing guidelines for organisations that commit health and safety offences. Prosecutors were quick to put these into practice when G4S Cash Solutions was fined a whopping £1.8 million last autumn for not protecting workers from Legionnaires’ disease.

Harlow Council, which prosecuted the security firm, commented that “the million-pound-plus fine should send a serious and important message to other companies” (via FootAnstey).

The new guidelines emphasise that organisations should be fined according to the degree of risk on their premises, rather than the actual harm caused. In the G4S case, it was never proven that Legionnaires’ disease had been contracted on the firm’s Harlow site, but significant risks were identified and this was enough to warrant a sanction.

The HSE has made it clear that it’s serious about legionella control. It is fair to assume that organisations who don’t follow the regulator’s guidance in 2017 may find themselves faced with heavier fines than ever before.

To make sure you’re compliant with guidelines and protecting your organisation from legionella, download our guide for facilities managers below.