The certifications that your water treatment supplier has, along with the associations that they belong to, and their level of training and understanding, will tell you a lot about their ability to prevent legionella. For facilities management (FM) companies especially, this is something to closely examine as choosing the wrong supplier could result in a loss of clients and reputational damage.

Whilst certifications don’t tell the entire story, they certainly demonstrate that the supplier meets at least the minimum requirements for knowledge, compliance and quality of services. This will translate to your company in a number of ways: it’ll mean you will be provided with legionella training delivered by professionals and the peace of mind that you’re receiving an approved service.

Here are the accreditations, endorsements and training associations that we recommend all facilities management companies look for when it comes to a water treatment supplier.

SafeContractor

The water treatment company you hire may have various safety accreditations, but how do you know that each individual working on your site is actually qualified and trained to do so?

The Alcumus SafeContractor is the fastest growing accreditation scheme in the UK, and it demonstrates that each contractor used by an organisation has the relevant health and safety training. A water treatment company will be vetted in an auditing process that lasts between 4-8 weeks and, if successful, will be presented with the SafeContractor certification and added to an online web portal for prospects to see.

Choosing an organisation with the SafeContractor accreditation will assure you that each contractor stepping foot on your client's site adheres to high standards of health and safety and will not oversee any important aspects of compliance.

Training

Your water treatment supplier must have up to date and relevant training to carry out services to a safe and satisfactory standard. The training should be endorsed by a recognised body with a good reputation. At Brodex, for example, all engineers undertake training courses through City & Guilds – a global leader in skills development.  

As a manger in the facilities management industry, you probably already understand the importance of training, and so, reviewing a potential supplier based on their scope of training should be one of the first things to do. It will give you an idea of the quality of services that you’re likely to receive and how dedicated they are to continuously grow their skills and knowledge. A supplier who cares about quality water treatment is going to invest in the latest technology and draw expertise out of their sound knowledge and experience in order to provide you with compliance and safety that will last for years to come. 

Health and Safety

Any organisation with more than five employees must have a written health and safety policy. Checking for this, along with general health and safety knowledge is advisable. For example, water treatment workers must understand and adhere to legislation, such as the “The Confined Spaces regulation 1997”, where working on parts of the water system, such as in tanks can be dangerous.

A water treatment company that can demonstrate a comprehensive grasp of health and safety guidelines tells you that they can make an accurate assessment of potential hazards and that their work is carried in accordance with appropriate safety measures. It also demonstrates that they follow a safe system of work and further risks will not be introduced into your water system. What’s more, they would potentially be able to spot other general health and safety risks at your client’s site, not related to their water system.

COSHH

The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health is a law act passed in 2002 that requires businesses to assess and control the risk of hazardous substances. It also provides a framework of actions to help companies address and mitigate the dangers of such substances.

It is mandatory that your water treatment supplier can display working knowledge of the framework, not only because they should understand how hazardous bacteria like legionella can affect your clients’ water system, but because many of the chemicals that they themselves use to treat the system can also be hazardous to health.

UKAS

The United Kingdom Association Service (UKAS) is a national accreditation body for the UK. They specifically monitor and assess organisations that provide testing services. The accreditation is even used by the government as a tool to deliver their obligations in different areas like healthcare, safety and more.

In legionella control, water must be tested for legionella and other forms of bacteria. Usually, this is carried out by an independent chemist or lab. When choosing a supplier, you should check that they use only UKAS accredited labs for testing – this will give you evidence that their testing is of utmost accuracy.

Legionella Control Association

A water treatment supplier that belongs to the Legionella Control Association (LCA) has the ultimate token of credence that proves their services meet the highest level of standards. In order to join the association, they’ll have to abide by a set of registration requirements, which includes adhering to a “Code of Compliance”.

The compliance guidelines now contain nine refined “Service Provider Commitments” and legionella treatment suppliers are required to formulate a “Statement of Compliance” that shows how they have addressed each of their commitments through an appropriate management system.

Each year, companies must re-register where the LCA team will visit and review the supplier's site. The procedure may appear strict, but it shows that suppliers that are a part of the LCA are committed to a high standard of service in achieving legionella control and safety.

ISO9001

It is mandatory that a disciplined management system is in place to adequately control legionella. A lack of organisation could mean that important assessments and control measures aren’t completed on time, giving legionella the opportunity to grow and multiply. Sometimes, all it could take is an overdue pipework disinfection and a lack of water temperature monitoring on a given day that allows the bacteria to incubate.

The ISO9001 accreditation is an internationally recognised standard for quality management. A supplier who has the qualification is much more likely to meet your water safety requirements and operate in a timely and consistent manner.

Here at Brodex, we take the quality of our services very seriously. We are proud to be a member of the LCA, satisfy ISO9001 management, invest in approved staff training, and use only UKAS accredited chemists for water testing. However, to us this is just a starting-point and a minimum requirement. We strive to always achieve beyond our customer’s expectations.

This is especially important for FM companies who have various legislative obligations to meet surrounding health and safety. You’ll want to, therefore, choose a supplier who not only satisfies certifications and training, but also has a strong health and safety culture and helps you stays compliant with the law.

Not sure what your legal responsibilities are when it comes to legionella? Download our free ‘Legionella compliance and liabilities for FM companies’ guide below.