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Legionella On-Site Risk Assessments
" A facility risk assessment is the first step, and most important step toward developing a water management plan or implementing a waterborne infection prevention program. With a combination of system inspection, water quality testing and Legionella screening, our on-site risk assessment is the most comprehensive in the industry."
- Terry Stange, Ph.D
President, Trusted Water
What is a Legionella Risk Assessment?
An On-Site Legionella risk assessment involves a facility walk-through to identify where Legionella and other opportunistic waterborne pathogens could grow and spread in the facility water system. Trusted Water's comprehensive approach to Legionella Risk Assessments characterize your facility by assessing 3 key risk areas
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Is the quality of your incoming water stable with adequate disinfectant?
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What is the risk of waterborne pathogens entering your facility from your water supply?
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Does the water contain nutrients at levels that can support bacterial growth?
Water Supplier
Incoming Water
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Does your facility create an environment that supports bacterial growth?
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Are there areas within your plumbing system where water can remain stagnant? (dead-legs , unused water outlets)
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Do you have procedures in place to reduce the risk of bacterial growth? (flushing protocols or water testing)
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Is Legionella or other pathogens currently growing in your water system?
Amplification
Do you have high-risk devices or system components that could spread waterborne pathogens (e.g. devices that create water aerosols or droplets, like shower heads or humidifiers)?
Distribution
Your Facility
Why should Trusted Water perform your
Legionella Risk Assessment?
We are experts in conducting On-Site Risk Assessments to help facilities meet CMS requirements and CDC recommendations and provide safe environments for their patients, residents and staff. By doing the Legionella assessment for you, we take the burden of understanding the various documents and directives, forms and plans, and testing protocol off your staff and provide a complete and simple solution for Legionella Risk Assessments. Here are areas where we provide expertise in this process:
Incoming Water
We work directly with your water supplier and perform our own testing as part of the risk assessment to identify any potential issues
Amplification
We identify all areas for potential stagnation, outline procedures to reduce risk of bacterial growth and complete on-site Legionella testing with results in 30 minutes
Distribution
As part of the facility inspection, we identify, test and tag all high-risk devices and components
Legionella Testing Procedure
“You can’t control it if you don’t measure it”
It is critical to include some level of water quality testing in your water management plan if you want to confirm your water system is in control.
The CMS directive expects facilities to specify testing protocols and acceptable ranges for control measures, then document the results of testing and corrective actions taken when control limits are not maintained. At a minimum, this requires monitoring water outlets for:
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Temperature
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Disinfectant level (e.g. free or residual chlorine)
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pH
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Visual signs of biofilms
At Trusted Water, we utilize testing protocols that implement low-cost, real-time measurements. If results indicate “out-of-control” situations, higher level testing can be performed to confirm the presence of waterborne pathogens. Following this type of escalation strategy keeps testing costs lower and sensitive data within the facility. Outside laboratory testing is done only when in-house testing indicates there is a problem.
We have a list of recommended tests that satisfies each phase of this escalation approach and we also offer water quality test kits that make it easy for staff to test the water. Legionella field test kits are also available if your facility would like to do testing as part of an ongoing risk assessment or water management plan. These test kits replace the need for expensive lab culture methods. Both swab and bulk water test kits are available. * Note: CMS does not require water cultures for Legionella or other opportunistic water borne pathogens. Testing protocols are at the discretion of the provider.
Process for On-Site Legionella Risk Assessments
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Schedule On-Site Risk Assessment - we schedule around your need to minimize disruption to daily operations.
2.
On-Site Visit - we review existing plumbing drawings and floorplans, and discuss how best to perform the assessment to avoid interrupting patient/resident care.
3.
Facility Walk-Through - we will perform a walk-through of your facility, accompanied by a staff member to answer any questions and help collect water samples. Depending on facility size and complexity, it can take 4 - 6 hours to complete the inspection.
4.
Preliminary Report - we end the inspection with a brief review of the test results, any high-risk areas, and provide a preliminary risk score.
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Final Report - we will send you a confidential, detailed report within 1 week of the assessment.
Contact us to discuss your Legionella Risk Assessment:
A facility risk assessment for Legionella is the place to bring in experts and make the investment in protecting your business, patients and staff. Contact us to discuss testing protocol recommendations, your risk assessment or our on-site test kits. We are happy to provide a free “no-obligation” proposal with pricing for you to review with your team or administration.