Legionella Risk Management Plans - Cooling Tower systems

Legionella Risk Management Plans – cooling tower systems

Legionella is a bacteria that thrives in warm water systems. Due to the significant health impacts of Legionellosis/Legionnaires disease on people caused by the bacteria, Risk Management Plans (RMPs) for Cooling Tower Systems are mandatory in Victoria and New South Wales. We recommended that every cooling tower system has an RMP to identify system risks and monitor the health of their systems to reduce the risk of harbouring Legionella bacteria.

Risk Management Plans are conducted in accordance with state legislation, the VIC Department of Health ‘A Guide to Developing Risk Management Plans for Cooling Tower Systems (revised 2015) and Australian Standards 3666.

An RMP identifies the risks of a system by assessing the five critical risk categories:

• • Stagnant Water

Focuses on the identification of dead legs; areas of pipework with little to no water circulation, and intermittent plant operation.

• • Nutrient Growth

Identifies potential contamination sources to the system and how to manage them.

• • Poor Water Quality

Investigates the effectiveness of managing microbial control through the water treatment program.

• • Deficiencies in the Cooling Tower System

Assesses the compliance of drift eliminators, the condition of system components, and system setup.

• • Location and Access

Looks at the potential risk of exposure to aerosols harbouring Legionella released from a cooling tower system by onsite personnel and the surrounding population, particularly health care premises and aged care facilities. Access to the cooling tower system for cleaning and maintenance is also assessed.

RMP Systems staff draw on years of experience to assess Legionella risk so that you can manage the risks with understanding, direction and confidence.