The HSE's latest guidance on the control of infectious diseases in spa pools, HSG282, is on the way and is expected to be released at some point in 2017. Originally planned as part four of HSG274, It will take the place of the 2006 PHE/HSE publication Management of spa pools: Controlling the risks of infection, and offer new technical guidance on legionella control in hot tubs and other self-contained bodies of warm, agitated water.

While HSG282, HSG274 and L8 (the HSE's approved code of practice on legionella control) are described as guidance, the HSE note that not following their instructions usually results in organisations failing to comply with health and safety laws and regulations. As such, it’s important for organisations with spa pools on their premises to understand and anticipate the document’s advice.

How could this impact you?

The guidance will outline best practices for controlling the risks of bacterial infection in spa pools. The last publication on the subject was released in 2006, and so the new guidance will incorporate a decade’s worth of new knowledge and research in the area.

As demonstrated by recent Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in a swimming pool in Rochdale, a leisure centre in Essex and the spa pool of a hotel in Dundee, it is not uncommon for legionella to grow in premises where water is used for leisure. This is because the bacteria thrives in warm water, so extra care has to be taken to combat infection risks – particularly when the water is agitated and creates a spray of potentially contaminated particles that may be inhaled by users.

Those who work in hotels, beauty salons, health clubs, gyms, leisure centres and other sites that host spa pools will be most affected by HSG282. It will help the owners of these facilities to follow various regulations, such as:

• The Health and Safety at Work Act
• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999

Anyone who fails to comply with these regulations could face heavy fines in light of the new sentencing guidelines introduced by the HSE in February 2016. These new rules suggest that prosecutors should focus on risks rather than actual harm caused, meaning greater penalties for non-compliance regardless of whether or not an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease can be traced back to the premises in question.

Want to see if your organisation complies with existing legionella guidance from the HSE? Click the link below to download our free legionella compliance checklist.