Legionella risk assessment
Risk assessment is the starting point of the entire analysis process. The overall result of the risk assessment is the preparation of the Risk Assessment Document (or Risk Analysis) hereafter called DVR.
This is a document containing the results of the investigation aimed at establishing the presence of Legionella bacteria in the various facilities, their proliferation conditions, and the possibility of staff contracting the infection.
In addition, the DVR indicates all actions and procedures aimed at removing or reducing the identified critical issues and all actions aimed at informing, training and raising awareness among those affected by the phenomenon (control personnel, plant operators, exhibits, etc.).
INSPECTION FOR DATA COLLECTION AND TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE SITE UNDER CONSIDERATION
The risk assessment of a facility starts with a survey of facilities where the bacteria may be present and proliferate, supported by up-to-date plant schematics, if available.
During the initial inspection, an initial census of the present facilities being analyzed and an assessment of any immediate critical issues (contamination or obvious outliers) is made.
Initial analytical photograph
Upon completion of the survey for technical data collection, a numerically small series of sampling for analysis is carried out. The objective of such an initial “snapshot” is to check for immediate critical situations, ongoing contamination, out-of-standard “dangerous.”
The outcomes of these analyses provide an initial overview about the health of the facilities at the site under evaluation.
This data obtained “in preview,” in addition to becoming a parameter to support the subsequent drafting of the Legionnaires’ Disease Risk Assessment Documentation, makes it possible to determine and, if necessary, provide urgent “safety” interventions.
Drafting legionellosis risk assessment documentation.
If the Risk Assessment is followed by specific microbiological analysis of liquids, solids and air, samples will be entrusted to highly specialized laboratories to ensure certain and indisputable results in case of litigation.
The Analysis service is inclusive of:
- An introduction to the document containing the purpose, scope, and legislative and regulatory references;
- A second part devoted to presenting the method used for evaluation and summarizing the technical data;
- A third part that, starting with a census of all facilities subject to the hazard, contains the technical assessment of Legionnaires’ Disease Risk broken down by facility type. This section also contains all indications about the actions and activities to be undertaken to achieve the IPR (Risk Priority Index) within the given Target Values;
- The fourth part, strongly declined on the existing reality and local specificities, is devoted to the detail of technical and organizational measures, the analytical monitoring program, and the conclusions of the analysis.
If the Risk Assessment is followed by the specific microbiological analyses on liquids, solids and air samples. The samples will be analyzed by highly specialized laboratories to ensure certain and indisputable results in case of litigation. The Analysis service is inclusive of:
- Deadline management
- Sampling
- Testing at Regional Reference Laboratories for Legionellosis.
- Management of test reports to the Client
- Protection of Client’s Privacy
