CIBSE (Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers) has published a new guide on the control of Legionella.
TM13: Minimising the risk of Legionnaires' disease sets out authoritative standards to help reduce risk and provide further understanding on control measures. It is aimed at practitioners involved with the design, installation, commissioning, operation or maintenance procedures of water systems within a building.

Greg Davies, who chaired the work group for TM13, said: 'The guidance has been revised and updated to reflect the legal, environmental and technological advancements we have seen over the last decade. The significant advantage of this document is it contains the level of advice needed to support those responsible for managing and maintaining water systems and services, for minimising the risks with Legionella as well as how to demonstrate proactive control.'

In the UK, Legionella management is primarily driven through The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Legionnaires' disease -- the control of legionella bacteria in water systems Approved Code of Practice and Guidance L8 (HSE, 2000). TM13 will help to meet these requirements.

The engineering of systems is important to maintain efficient safety but when managerial and operational procedures fail, this will also increase risk. The new guide aims to address such issues and help encourage an overall effective approach to minimising risk.

To obtain a copy of TM13, visit www.cibseknowledgeportal.co.uk