Keeping Safe from Legionellosis

There are several water borne illnesses that one has to worry about. Though you can take numerous precautions with the water you drink, chances are that some illnesses will slip right past you. Legionnaire’s disease is infectious disease that can be fatal in some cases. While legionnaires’ is one form of the illness that can result in unusually high fevers and pneumonia, there is a milder version called Pontiac fever that is caused by the same bacteria, namely Legionellosis.

With technology dev eloping the way it has, there are risk assessment tests that are carried out to test water for the presence of the virus. The first step in this kind of an assessment is getting a professional to conduct it and give you the results of the test. In fact in most places that employ more than 5 people, this risk assessment in the written form is compulsory.

As per the guidelines that are set out for this risk assessment, the person conducting the test will need the help of qualified individuals. This will mean hiring an independent water consultant who is well versed in what needs to be done. There are three main steps to this test and they are to look into, identify and evaluate all possible sources of the risk. In cases where possible, the water consultant will have to determine where and how people risk being exposed to the virus and finally, in cases where prevention is not really a feasible solution, he will have to provide a means to bring down exposure to risk.

The risk assessment test involves a trained and qualified water consultant visiting the premises to be inspected and making a unbiased assessment of the building’s water system. He should also be able to assess where the possibility of the virus colonizing exists and what will facilitate their further growth. This will means assessing the temperature of the water for its growth, the possible nutrition it may receive from sources around it and also the existence of any water services that may encourage aerosol creation. Besides this, employees will also be evaluated as research has shown that men are more likely than women to contract the disease. Also they will look into the possibility of water stagnation in the area.

Based on this a report is created along with any measures that need to be taken depending on the risk factor that the surveyor has arrived at. This test is best repeated every two years for any premise.