Do We Need to Test for Legionella?
Do you need to test for Legionella? If you are a facility manager, building owner, healthcare/hospital engineer, or senior community director, you should already be aware that Legionella poses a threat to your occupants’ health and safety.
For healthcare facilities, Legionella testing is often mandated due to the at-risk population. Legionella testing is an important part of routine infection control activities.
But do all facilities need to test for Legionella? If your facility contains water in any form, and you wish to protect your staff and visitors, as well as reduce your liability in the event of an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease, then the answer is “Yes.” Generally speaking, every facility that has both water and people should conduct Legionella testing. It is an important, proactive step that keeps people healthy and lowers your organization’s risk. Take our CDC Legionella Risk Assessment to better understand your risk.
Legionella Testing Objectives
With that is mind, what is the objective of Legionella testing? The CDC makes it clear that Legionella testing may be useful for both routine and non-routine purposes, such as:
- Establishing a baseline measurement for performance indicators related to Legionella
- Validating a Water Management Program (WMP – sometimes also referred to as a Water Management Plan)
- Evaluating potential growth and transmission sources of Legionella
- Confirming success or failure of remedial Legionella control treatment
- Investigating potential sources of environmental exposure for persons with Legionnaires’ disease
Moreover, the CDC indicates that routine Legionella testing may be especially beneficial for:
- Facilities that house or treat individuals at increased risk for Legionnaires’ disease – this includes hospitals, senior communities and outpatient clinics
- Facilities unable to meet Legionella control limits consistently
- Facilities with a history of associated Legionnaires’ disease cases
While the answer is “Yes, you should be conducting Legionella testing,” the stakes are very high in terms of health, safety, risk and liability. This is not a do-it-yourself project. Legionella testing should be done in consultation with a Legionella control expert like Legionella Control Systems. Learn why you need to choose a truly independent Legionella consultant.
