Legionnaires’ Disease Prevention: 10 things you need to know

Are you aware of the risk of Legionnaires’ disease in your building? This article from business utilities consultant Smarter Business highlights 10 things you need to know about the bacteria.

Legionnaires’ disease prevention should be on the radar for any school, nursing home, healthcare institute, hotel or other large building. The disease may not be as rare as you think, with a 450% increase of reported cases in the past two decades.

What is Legionnaires’ disease?

Legionnaires’ disease develops when people breathe in small droplets of water infected by the Legionella bacteria. This potentially fatal disease is a severe form of pneumonia that affects around 500 people a year in England alone. It is fatal in approximately one in 10 cases. Legionella bacteria colonies may grow in man-made water systems.

For this reason, it’s important to control the risks by introducing appropriate testing and prevention measures. Here are 10 things you need to know about Legionnaires’ disease prevention

1. Legionnaires’ disease is a notifiable disease. This means that health professionals are required to inform local health protection teams of suspected cases.

2. Although Legionella bacteria can be found in harmlessly low numbers in natural water systems, it can multiply rapidly in artificial water supply systems such as air conditioning and water warming systems.

3. Legionnaires’ outbreaks usually peak between July and September in the UK (during the warmer summer months).

4. Legionnaires’ disease can infect your building’s hot and cold water systems.

5. Larger buildings with more complex water supplies – such as hospitals, hotels, and office blocks – are more vulnerable to Legionella contamination as bacteria in these systems can spread quickly.

6. The risk temperature range is between 20-45 degrees Celsius. A hot water system should be set to 60 degrees centigrade so that it delivers water to the taps at 55 degrees.

7. It is a legal duty to monitor and check your water temperatures constantly and to assess whether any Legionella risk is pre-set.

8. A Legionella risk assessment must take the individual characteristics of each hot and cold water system into account.

9. All records of assessments and testing of the water system should be kept on hand for two years and then stored or available for up to five years.

10. Sites should have diagrams of their water systems.

 

EAN Content

Content shared by this account is either news shared free by third parties or sponsored (paid for) content from third parties. Please be advised that links to third party websites are not endorsed by Estate Agent Networking - Please do your own research before committing to any third party business promoted on our website. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

You May Also Enjoy

Estate Agent Talk

Landlord Safety Certificate Cost Breakdown for London Property Owners

London Safety Certificate is your trusted provider in London, offering fully accredited and dependable services to help landlords meet their legal obligations with confidence. As a landlord, you’re responsible for guaranteeing that your property meets UK legal safety standards, which means obtaining various safety certificates. The costs for these certificates can vary; for instance, a…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Price Index – Thoughts from the Industry

The latest Nationwide House Price Index for July 2025 shows that: House prices increased by 0.6% between June and July of this year. On an annual basis, the average house price increased by 2.4% up from a 2.1% annual rate of growth in June. As a result, the average UK house price now sits at…
Read More
Breaking News

Nationwide House Index – July 2025

Annual house price growth edges higher in July Annual rate of house price growth increased modestly in July to 2.4%, from 2.1% in June House prices were up 0.6% month on month UK house price to earnings ratio at lowest level in over a decade at c.5.75 Headlines Jul-25 Jun-25 Monthly Index* 540.5 537.4 Monthly…
Read More
Breaking News

Late payment reforms offer hope for SMEs

The Government has unveiled its Small Business Plan aimed to support SMEs and unlock growth. This plan outlines their intention to tackle late payments, an issue which costs the UK economy £11bn a year and forces 38 businesses to shut down every day. Richard Beresford, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Builders (NFB), said:…
Read More
Breaking News

Late payment reform is welcome, says FMB

Measures announced as part of the Government’s ‘Small Business Plan’, to tackle late payments and tool theft, futureproof skills, and improve access to finance, are welcome steps to create a more level playing field for small building companies, say the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). Brian Berry, Chief Executive of the FMB commented: “Late payments…
Read More
Social Housing 2019
Breaking News

Build to Rent sees global surge

Build to Rent Goes Global: New Data Reveals Surge in UK, US, Australia and New Zealand New global data from Inventory Base reveals that Build to Rent (BTR) is no longer a UK phenomenon. n, it’s a rapidly expanding housing model gaining serious traction across New Zealand, Australia, and the United States. Nowhere is this…
Read More