Legionnaires Policy 

Prepared using the HSE publication ‘Managing legionella in hot and cold-water systems’

  1. POLICY STATEMENT

Little Wonderland Nursery will undertake to ensure compliance with the relevant legislation with regard to the Control of Legionella in hot and cold-water systems for all children and staff and to ensure best practice by extending the arrangements as far as is reasonably practicable to others who may also be affected by our activities.

  1. THE LAW

As legislation is often amended and Regulations introduced, the references made in this Policy may be to legislation that has been superseded. For an up-to-date list of legislation applying to nurseries, please refer to the Department for Education website at the Health and Safety Executive website www.hse.gov.uk.

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

  1. DEFINITIONS

Legionella is a generic term for a type of bacteria which is common in natural and artificial water systems. Legionellosis is the name given to a group of pneumonia-like illnesses caused by Legionella.

  1. MANAGEMENT

Based on the design and use of the water system, including the absence of showers, absence of stored hot water and use of instantaneous water heating, the foreseeable risk from Legionella is assessed as low, provided the control measures identified in this policy are maintained

The nursery will ensure that:

  • Relevant risk assessments are carried out and that control measures are implemented (see below).
  • The nursery owner/manager is informed of any problems with water or the water system.
  • Monitor disinfection procedures where necessary
  • Records are kept for each water outlet of flushing and testing.

LEGIONELLA COMPETENT PERSON

The nursery owner/manager (Stacey Sneddon) is appointed as the Responsible Person for managing the Legionella risk. The Responsible Person will ensure they have sufficient knowledge, training and competence to understand the nursery's water system and implement the control measures in this policy. Where specialist knowledge or work is required, a suitably competent water contractor/plumber will be engaged.

  1. GENERAL INFORMATION

What is legionella?

Legionella bacteria is commonly found in water. The bacteria multiply where temperatures are between 20-45°C and nutrients are available. The bacteria are dormant below 20°C and do not survive above 60°C.

Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal type of pneumonia, contracted by inhaling airborne water droplets containing viable Legionella bacteria. Such droplets can be created, for example, by: hot and cold water outlets; atomisers; wet air conditioning plant; and whirlpool or hydrotherapy baths.

Anyone can develop Legionnaires’ disease, but the elderly, smokers, alcoholics and those with cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory or kidney disease are at more risk.

HSE’s Legionnaires’ disease page provides information on managing the risks.

Legionella is a generic term for a type of bacteria (legionellae) which is common in natural and artificial water supplies. The bacteria thrive at temperatures between 20°c and 45°c but can be killed by elevated temperatures or chemical treatment.

Infection is only a risk when there is inhalation of very fine water droplets that are contaminated with high concentrations of legionella bacteria. Healthy people are unlikely to contract an infection, and outbreaks are rare though well publicised.

  1. RISK ASSESSMENT

Assessment of risk: 

  • Monitoring whether control measures are being carried out.
  • Correct water temperatures are being maintained.
  • Engineering measures, such as temperature control valves, are working properly.
  • The nursery has no showers on the premises, and water is used only for hand washing, dishwashing and play experiences.
  • Water play uses fresh mains water and does not involve recirculation or storage of water between activities. Water used for play is emptied after each activity and containers are cleaned and dried. No water sprays, misters or other aerosol-producing devices are used.
  • Water system description - The nursery is supplied with mains cold water. There is no cold-water storage tank and no stored hot-water cylinder/calorifier. Hot water is produced by an instantaneous/tankless water heater when an outlet is operated. Hot water is distributed to the relevant outlets and thermostatic mixing valves are fitted where required to control the temperature delivered to children and staff.

There are no showers, spa pools, cooling towers, decorative water features or other known aerosol-generating water systems on the premises.

  • Children are protected from scalding by controlling the delivery temperature of hot water from a tap to approx 43°C by the use of thermostatic mixing valves.
  • All taps are regularly descaled during cleaning of the nursery.
  1. CONTROL MEASURES

All water outlets should be used regularly. Any outlet which is not used routinely will be included in a flushing programme. Infrequently used outlets will be flushed at least weekly, or at another frequency justified by the risk assessment. Following periods of nursery closure, all outlets will be flushed before normal use resumes.

Where water outlets are routinely used, then this acts as the flushing routine and additional flushing is not required. However, flushing will always be required for all water outlets during periods of none use which exceed 4 days. Flushing is only required at the end of the period of non-use.

We will therefore monitor any water outlets that are not in regular use. In practice, this occurs at the end of any holiday periods. (4 times per year)

We will record the flushing of all water outlets on the return from any holiday periods. 

We will record the temperature of hot and cold-water outlets.

A single cold and hot tap on the main hot and cold-water systems, which are not connected via a thermostatic mixing valve, are each to be run for at least two minutes so that a temperature can be taken using a thermometer and recorded on the Water Temperature Check List.

The cold-water outlet temperature should be below 20 degrees C after two minutes running.

Hot water should reach at least 50°C within 1 minute of running at the outlet, unless the outlet is controlled by a thermostatic mixing valve, in which case the hot-water supply to the TMV should be capable of achieving at least 50°C within 1 minute.

If these temperatures cannot be maintained, then professional assistance will be sought immediately

  1. TESTING ARRANGEMENTS

Testing of the water temperature will be checked on a regular basis, and will be carried out by the nursery manager, or in her absence, by the member of staff deputising for her. The results of this test will be recorded in our ‘safer food, better business’ folder.

Routine microbiological sampling for Legionella is not considered necessary based on the current risk assessment and design of the water system. This decision will be reviewed if the water system, use of the premises or risk profile changes, or if monitoring identifies a potential problem

This policy will be reviewed and revised by the nursery manager on an annual basis.

 

Policy Developed By: Stacey Sneddon

Date: 10/07/2024

 

Reviewed: 5/07/2025

Reviewed by: Stacey Sneddon 

Reviewed July 2026