Extracted from an article published on BBC News website on 6 July 2019. To read the full article click here.
The below news article highlights the importance of regularly testing water systems, in order to prevent cases of the potentially deadly legionnaire’s disease.
“A health spa is the “likely source” of an outbreak of Legionella infection which has left nine people in hospital, Public Health England (PHE) has said.
Fourteen people who attended Healax Salt Caves in Bournemouth in June have contracted either Legionnaire’s Disease or the less serious Pontiac fever.
A further 39 people who reported symptoms have not had infections confirmed by laboratory tests.
The nine worst-affected patients are now recovering at home.”
To read the full article click here.
Legionella is a BIG risk for Spas, Hotels and Leisure Centres
Maintaining consistently high quality standards is vital for spas and hotels in order to protect staff and guests and help preserve their reputation and position in the marketplace.
Legionella is transmitted by breathing it in the form of vapour. That is why hot tubs, showers, saunas, steam rooms and swimming pools are especially high risk.
Hotels, leisure centres, spas and other organisations in the leisure and hospitality sector therefore need water regulation compliance to be front and centre in their overall health & safety plan.
In HSG282 – Control of legionella and other infectious agents in spa-pool systems it states
“Spa-pool systems are a recognised source of diseases caused by infectious agents including the organism that causes legionnaires’ disease, primarily Legionella pneumpohila. There have been a number of outbreaks linked to spa pools in leisure centres, hotels, holiday homes, on cruise ships and on display.
This guidance, which supersedes the joint HSE-HPA publication, Management of Spa Pools: Controlling the Risks of Infection, is primarily for those who manage or operate spa-pool systems and explains how to manage and control the risks from legionella and other infectious agents. It will also help service suppliers, designers, manufacturers, importers, suppliers and installers of spa-pool systems meet their legal responsibilities.
As well as guidance on operating and maintaining commercial-type systems, there is specific advice on domestic-type spa pools or hot tubs used as part of a business activity, for example in holiday-park rental units, hotel bedrooms with a dedicated spa and systems on display or at exhibitions. The guide includes advice on effective ways to safely manage and control spa-pool systems through:
- design, commissioning, operation and maintenance;
- testing and monitoring spa-pool water quality;
- quality and frequency of inspections.”
Protect yourself & your customers by using ZetaSafe
We understand that your focus needs to be on ensuring customer expectations are exceeded so they will want to return again and ZetaSafe can help ensure that compliance failures do not compromise all that hard work. ZetaSafe makes all of your critical data easily accessible, so any issues can be corrected immediately to protect your guests, staff and reputation. Click the image below to explore ZetaSafe.
Get peace of mind today with ZetaSafe!
Did you know?
All workplaces have legal duties under the Health and Safety Executive’s publication of ‘The Control of Legionella bacteria in Water Systems – Approved Code of Practice and Guidance (ACoP L8)’ and Technical guidance HSG274. Statutory duties are placed on the duty holder (the person in control of the premises) who must appoint a ‘Responsible Person’ to manage the control of Legionella.
Industry best practice is to carry out a site specific Legionella Risk Assessment on all water systems and there is a duty to keep Monitoring data for five years.
ZetaSafe legionella software is perfectly placed to meet this requirement as complex or extensive estates can drown in the paperwork that is generated. It is even more challenging to spot trends and patterns with paper records which can diminish your ability to make the timely interventions to help minimise risks.
ZetaSafe makes all of your critical data easily accessible, so any issues can be corrected immediately helping to protect your residents, staff and reputation.
ZetaSafe can release your time and resources, allowing you to focus your attention on caring for your residents.
Click the image below to explore ZetaSafe
- Ensure Water Safety / Legionella compliance to ACoP L8 and HSG274 / HTM 04-01.
- Personalised dashboards can be configured so that each stakeholder has easy access to the most important and relevant data to them.
- Managers and supply partners can view the same information simultaneously wherever there is internet access, saving them time and resources.
- Integrates to other systems such as CAFM, Property, Facilities / Maintenance Management, PPM systems, Workforce Scheduling and Accounting Ledgers.
How does it work?
- Smartphones, tablets or even PDAs with bluetooth temperature probes can be used to collect data and the system is already programmed with the prescribed L8 and HSG274 temperature limits and frequencies and for the other manual inspections required too.
- ZetaSafe Legionella logbook software puts you in control; you can schedule your tasks, manage failures or defects and analyse any trends. ZetaSafe makes it easier and more visible to help ensure compliance.
Get in touch today to protect your residents, staff and reputation.
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