All water systems do carry a risk of harboring Legionella, but not all water systems have the same level of risk of causing Legionnaires disease. We provide an overview of the different risks in the sector pages on this website.
In some countries a risk assessment is requirement for some types of water systems. This is usually based on the risk of that system spreading Legionella to staff or the public. Even if it is not a mandatory requirement a risk assessment helps guide management in deciding what control measures to put in place. On site testing helps determine the current status of that risk. If Legionella is present in the water in measureable quantities then the water system is currently not controlling the bacterium and remedial and further control measures are required.
A simple risk assessment may indicate that the risks are low. In such cases, you may not need to take further action, but it is important to review your assessment regularly to check control is being maintained, and specifically in the case of any changes in your system.
Testing is a recognised part of assessing the risks, monitoring, control and checking of corrective actions or out of conformance events – like temperature controls failing, a heat wave or biocide controls failure. The Hydrosense test is a very useful way of implementing testing as it can be done in house and on site.
Storing the data for audit purposes is an important part of recording risk assessment compliance. You can download our Smartphone Reader App, which reads the test better than human eye and allows you to independently verify the results. The app stores the result in a secure data base from which you can download certificates or simply keep your records for audit purposes.