Legionella

M.D.B. Plumbing (Nottm) Ltd puts safety first and has been a long-standing member of the Legionella Control Association (LCA), a group devoted to ensuring that the risk of legionella within water systems is as minimised as possible. The LCA was founded in 1999 by the British Water Association of Chemical Specialities (BACS) and the Water Management Society (WMSoc) and members like us follow a specially formulated code of conduct and 9 service provider commitments in order to establish and maintain appropriate management systems for the regulated control of legionella bacteria.

What is Legionella?

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

Legionella bacteria causes Legionnaires’ disease, which is a potentially fatal type of pneumonia contracted by inhaling airborne water droplets containing viable legionella bacteria.

Legionella Risk Assessment

Public and Private organisations such as NHS Estates, local authorities, MOD and commercial building owners are required to properly manage the health risks inherent in water usage and address the issue of preventing pathogen contamination. Under general Health and Safety law, Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) L8, you must consider the risks from Legionella that could affect your employees or members of the public, and take suitable precautions.

As an employer or a person in control of premises, you must:

Identify and assess sources of risk
Prepare a scheme (or course of action) for preventing or controlling the risk
Implement and manage the scheme
Appoint a person to be managerially responsible
Keep records and ensure effective control
Ensure your staff are aware of the risk

We will provide a comprehensive package, which will ensure your company complies fully with the latest legislation in order to safeguard both your staff and your business.

Remedial actions

Whilst a Legionella Risk Assessment and Management Program are fundamental to reduce, to a certain extent, the risk of Legionnaires’ disease, it may also be necessary to carry out remedial works on the water system for legionella control to reduce the risk further.

M.D.B. Plumbing ensure that all plumbing works are carried out by highly trained and experienced plumbers with a Legionella Risk Assessment background to ensure that the remedial actions are completed in accordance with the requirements of ACOP L8 and BS EN 806 parts 1-5 (BS EN 806-1:2000, BS EN 806-2:2005, BS EN 806-3:2006, BS EN 806-4:2010, BS EN 806-5:2012).

Our plumbers ensure that all the remedial works are carried out in accordance with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and M.D.B. Plumbing are able to offer a wide range of remedial works.

Thermostatic Mixing Valve (TMV) Servicing

TMV or Thermostatic Mixer Valve is a device that is designed to control the water temperature for showers, baths, and outlets. These devices require servicing on a regular bases in order for them to function correctly.

To comply with legionella prevention guidance, water must be stored at no less than 60 degrees and distributed at no less than 50 degrees. However, where the risk of scalding has been identified TMV’s are fitted to regulate the temperature at the outlets.

Our services meet the requirements of the HSE and NHS Estates and we dedicate ourselves to providing cost-effective solutions in order to reduce the cost of compliance with TMV regulations.

It is a requirement that all TMV’s are checked once or twice a year, depending on your organisation, to ensure that they are still achieving the desired temperature. If temperature control fluctuates more than 2 degrees from the original setting, then a full service will be required. The valves can easily become scaled or blocked, which needs to be rectified to ensure that they work properly.

All of our qualified engineers are trained to the “best practices” of each thermostatic mixer valve which saves both time and money for you.

Water Monitoring

Whatever parameters you require to be monitored, we offer a full or partial service to satisfy L8 standards.

This ensures that our service is always carried out to the highest possible standard.

Water monitoring is the process of sampling, measuring, and subsequent recording or signalling of various water characteristics to ensure the conformity of specified objectives.

Cleaning and Disinfection

Maintaining clean water storage is an important part of a water hygiene strategy. Water storage tanks can act as a sump and collect sediment and debris, which can provide nutrients and an environment for legionella proliferation.

M.D.B. Plumbing has specialist cleaning and disinfection teams and can employ several methods for cleaning and disinfecting hot and cold water systems.

Range of services

Installing Thermostatic Mixer Valves
GRP Tank Replacement
Tank Relining
Tank Refurbishment
Repairing or replacing water heaters and Calorifiers
Removal of dead-legs (redundant pipework or water service) or other unwanted water services
Insulating water storage tanks and its associated pipe work

Reconfiguration of pipe work within a cold water storage tank
Fixing new tank lids and fitting Bylaw 30 kits
Installing/replacing ball valves
Installing insect and rodent screens on cold water storage tanks
Installation or replacement of water storage tanks
Installation or replacement of shower pumps/water pumps
Installation or replacement of stopcocks, isolation valves, double check valves etc.

We also provide a specialist service in all aspects of pump diagnostics, pump refurbishment & new installation:

Mains Cold Water Systems (Boosted and Tank Fed Systems)
Threaded and Welded Pipework
Full Electrical Controls Package with our Working Partners
Domestic Hot Water Systems
Copper Pipework