Smart devices and data analysis make reporting easier and more accurate than ever for water monitoring and Legionella control
Legionnaire’s Disease might sound like an illness from the past … perhaps belonging to the ages of smallpox, leprosy or gout. But caused by the waterborne bacterium Legionella, which can grow in building water systems, it is very much still with us today.
Building managers must actively monitor systems for Legionella risk and follow effective best-practice guidelines as required by law. The relatively low public awareness about Legionnaires Disease is a testament to their diligence in following these guidelines.
New developments in IoT technology, such as ZiggyTec’s Smart Legionella Control solutions, are set to transform legionella compliance activity, giving duty-holders new tools to increase the accuracy and frequency of reporting, while saving significant costs and resource wastage. But first, let’s have a look at the risk factors for Legionella, and traditional methods of mitigating them.
Risk Factors for Legionella
Legionnaires Disease is a type of pneumonia that can lead to serious disease. The bacteria can grow and spread in building water systems, such as sink taps, showerheads and large, complex plumbing systems.
Some risk factors for the growth and spread of Legionella include the storage or re-circulation of water as part of a building’s system; water temperature in the system being between a range of 20-45 degrees Celsius; and the presence of sources of nutrients such as sludge or organic matter.
Contaminated water droplets can cause outbreaks of Legionnaire’s Disease when they disperse over a wide area, such as through splashback in sinks or droplets from showers. Employees, residents, visitors or other building occupants who are susceptible to infection due to age, illness or a weakened immune system are most at risk from the effects of the disease.
The traditional way to monitor water temperature
Traditionally, organizations have carried out risk assessments for the presence of Legionella through manual water monitoring programs. Once a month, an engineer records temperature readings on a site log book and reports identified risks to authorities.
ACOP L8 and similar guidelines offer valuable advice to duty-holders for Legionella control compliance. The process is time-consuming, limited to monthly visits, and prone to human error in data recording.
A new option: ZiggyTec’s Smart Legionella Control solution
ZiggyTec’s Smart Legionella Control solution is a new option in Legionella compliance management. It is an IoT-based means of capturing water temperature data and exporting it for risk management and compliance activity.
Our solution automates water temperature monitoring every 10 seconds to comply with best practices and regulations such as ACOP L8. The devices also provide alerts on scalding and freezing conditions.
ZiggyTec’s state-of-the-art dashboards also show non-compliance events in real-time and automatically highlight other concerns.
The reports reduce the need for flushing by up to 95% which will potentially save thousands of litres of water – and tonnes of energy – every year, ensuring a rapid return on investment.
The cloud stores all the data, and duty-holders can easily access it through a personalized data portal, enabling them to pull reports whenever needed.
Buildings we serve include offices, schools, universities, nursing homes and health and community centres.
Duty-holders enjoy a practical, time-, cost- and energy-saving alternative to monthly manual inspection visits.
Interested in booking a call with ZiggyTec to find out how you can streamline your compliance reporting on Legionella?