Eurosurveillance, Volume
7, Issue
27,
03 July 2003
Guidelines for reducing legionella risk associated with using
spa baths from the UK Health and Safety Executive
Editorial team (eurowkly@hpa.org.uk),
Eurosurveillance editorial office.
The Health and Safety Executive in the United Kingdom (UK)
has produced an information sheet providing guidance for people who supply
spa baths or manage premises where they are used, on the responsibilities
under health and safety law to manage risks associated with use of their equipment
and the spread of legionella bacteria (
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/spalegion.pdf).
-
Those responsible for managing spa baths should:
- identify and assess any potential sources of legionella, and consider
who and how these people could be exposed; in other words conduct a risk
assessment;
-
prepare a plan to prevent or control any risks identified;
-
implement, manage and monitor the precautions put
in place (the HSE's Approved Code of Practice and guidance can give further
advice on how to do this);
-
keep records of this work;
-
appoint someone else to manage this responsibility
if necessary;
-
train staff to correctly operate the spa bath - giving
them appropriate information about the risks and the plans to manage them.
Spa baths are also known as spa pools, whirlpool spas, hot tubs, hot spas, portable
spas, and Jacuzzi (a brand name). The legionella risk associated with spa baths
is acknowledged as a problem throughout Europe (1-3).
References:
- Den Boer JW, Yzerman EPF, Schellekens J, Lettinga KD, Boshuizen HC, Van
Steenbergen JE, et al. A Large Outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease at a Flower
Show, the Netherlands, 1999. Emerg Infect Dis 2002; 8:
37-43. (http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol8no1/01-0176.htm)
- PHLS. Legionnaires' disease associated with a hotel and leisure centre
in Somerset. Commun Dis Rep CDR Wkly 2003; 13 (11):
news. (http://www.phls.org.uk/publications/cdr/archive03/News/news1103.htm#Legionnaires)
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