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Legionellosis Control: Meeting Legislative Requirements
NHS trusts have to meet legal obligations to avoid the risks of
hospital acquired infection. These make it essentialto control the
environments likely to be contaminated by Legionella. UnderHealth
& Safety legislation, a Trust is liable for ensuring safety.
Individual Trustdirectors and managers as well as their contractors
are personally liable too.
Preventing outbreaks of legionellosis is most easily achieved
through regularinspection and maintenance of hospital water,
cooling and air conditioningsystems. But how can a Trusts directors
and managers be sure that inspectionsand maintenance is being
carried out according to directions? How can theydemonstrate that
actions match the processes they intend to be followed?
Technology can help by making it clear which pieces of equipment
have beenchecked when and how. Electronic tagging can be used to
help manage theinspection and maintenance regime.
Solutions to the Risks of Non-Compliance
In 2000, the Health & Safety Executive published the L8 Code
of Practice and Guidance in 2000 specifying the
managementresponsibilities and actions needed for control of
Legionellosis. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 spells out
the
penalties for failing to do so. Processes that meet the L8
Code,will go a long way to demonstrating that a Trusts
directors,managers, FM operators and contractors have taken
thenecessary precautions. However, it is also important to show
that the processes are operated effectively and that, if
anyoutbreak occurs, it happens in spite of correct procedures
bothexisting and being followed by the Trusts own staff and
theircontractors, FM providers or maintenance suppliers.
Electronic tagging using radio frequency identification (RFID)
isalready widely used for keeping track of maintenance and
repairoperations. It can be used to monitor the inspection
andmaintenance regimes for places where Legionella bacteria
thrive.
RFID systems depend on small electronic tags that can beattached
to the items that need to be inspected. These tags canbe read by
computer systems to identify each item when theyare inspected.
Using RFID, management can show thatmaintenance routines are being
carried out and can prove a clear
chain of accountability for the safety of each and every point
ofpotential risk.
Hospitals such as Addenbrookes Hospital already use
RFIDtechnology supplied by CoreRFID for uses such as securityguard
patrol tracking.
Trust directors and managers arepersonally liable for Health
&Safety legislation breaches thatresult in the spread of
Legionella.
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How Does It Work?
RFID tags, each with their own unique identity, are attached to
air-conditioning and cooling systems, warm-water baths, spabaths
water reservoirs in humidifiers, nebulisers in respiration machines
and cooling towers. They can then be used to manageinspection.
As each site is visited the inspector uses a compact, hand-held,
reader tocheck the tag of the item concerned. Placing the reader
alongside the tag issufficient to register that it has been
checked.
Tags can also be provided to each inspector, allowing every
check to beassociated with an individual.
Different technologies allow the tags to be of different sizes
and formats(some as small as a grain of rice, others embedded in
printed labels or othersenclosed in robust housings for use in
hostile environments). As a result allsorts of devices can be
tagged easily.
Differences in the nature of the tag mean that some tags need to
be readfrom a distance of only a few centimetres while others can
be read from 10sof metres away. Systems for legionellosis
inspection applications typicallyuse tags which can only be read
from a short distance away, with the readeralmost touching the tag.
In this way tags can be positioned at the areas of
greatest risk, ensuring thatinspection plates are
actuallyopened, for example.
In the simplest sort of system an
RFID reader is used to collectdetails of the tags checked
duringan inspection tour. At the end ofthe tour, the data from the
tags checked is transferred to a computer which checksthat all the
tags which should have been checked have been. If a site has
beenmissed a follow-up visit can be scheduled automatically.
An alternative approach uses a small hand-held computer (PDA)
equipped with anRFID reader for inspectors. This allows the system
to provide the inspector with thelist of locations to be checked
and a series of prompts explaining just which checksare needed at
each location. Systems that allow inspectors to use a PDA also
letthem record areas of concern where further checks are needed or
where someintervention is needed to either avoid health risks or
simply to prevent failure.Once again the information collected is
transferred to another computer and
flagged for follow-up.Unlike systems that use paper forms, an
RFID based inspection management system provides accurate
identification aboutinspection points, easy collection of suggested
follow up actions and time-stamped details of who conducted each
inspection.
CoreRFID provides complete systems to support implementation of
the inspection and reporting regimes required by the HSEL8 Code of
Practice and Guidance and the Health and Safety at Work Act,
covering tags, readers, hand-held computers andassociated software
which can be linked ot existing facilities record systems.
About CoreRFID
Contact us at:
CoreRFID Ltd. Dallam Court, Dallam Lane, Warrington, U.K. WA2
7LTT: +44 (0) 845 071 0985 F: +44 (0) 845 071 0989 W:
www.corerfid.com E: [email protected]
A compact PDA and RFID reader in aprotective housing can prompt
andmonitor maintenance checks.
The Benefits
Gives full accountability down to userand asset ensuring
compliance at alllevels.
Helps remove the risk of missedinspections, reducing the danger
ofinfection and increasing patient safety
Removes manual errors by collectingdata accurately,
Makes inspectors work schedulesmore efficient by providing
promptsfor Planned Preventative Maintenanceand inspections.
Allows for automated allocation offollow up actions to remedy
faults.
Saves time and effort when comparedwith systems using paper
forms.
