LEGIONELLA – AN OFFSHORE UXB?

Ron Gardner & Darrin Hawkes

WHAT I WON’T TALK ABOUT!

DETAILS OF WHAT YOU NEED TO DO FOR THE ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL OF LEGIONELLA RISKS

THERE IS PLENTY OF GUIDANCE OUT THERE

HSE GUIDANCE

HSE ACOP AND GUIDANCE L8 (THE LCI PRECIS OF L8 IS USEFUL)

HSE AUDIT CHECKLIST AND VIDEO

OIL & GAS UK ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH GUIDELINES

ENERGY INSTITUTE GUIDANCE ON LEGIONELLA

INDUSTRY GUIDANCE

NIPH POTABLE WATER GUIDELINES FOR OFFSHORE

GUIDANCE FOR OTHER SECTORS SUCH AS HOTELIERS

OTHER GUIDANCE

WHAT I DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT

WHERE HAWKES ASSOCIATES HAVE SEEN FLAWS IN THE MANAGEMENT OF POTABLE WATER OFFSHORE

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THEM

01 ASSESSMENT

PROBLEM

No or poor assessmentsRecommendations not carried through

SOLUTION

Obvious!

02 THE RESPONSIBLE PERSON

PROBLEM

No one appointedResponsible person has no authority

SOLUTION

Appoint one!Define their authority as well as their responsibilityMake sure they are competent (also ask them)

03 AGING INFRASTRUCTURE

PROBLEM

Old systems; often poorly maintainedNew players

SOLUTIONS

Good maintenanceKeep the P&IDs up-to-dateRemoval of dead legs or flush weekly

04 DOSING AND DISINFECTION

PROBLEM

Erratic manual dosingUV treatmentCleaning and disinfection only in an emergency

SOLUTION

Consider automatic dosing (ClO2 controls biofilm well)

Is UV enough?Clean & disinfect on a regular basis

05 SAMPLING – WHAT AND WHY?

PROBLEM

SamplingLegionella What does a one off mean?Biofilm sampling Instant tests

SOLUTIONS

Should be meaningful and interpretableControl supported by measurement – not vice versa

06 LEGIONELLA AND POTABLE WATER

PROBLEM

Often treated as if independent

SOLUTION

Holistic approach

07 USING INFORMATION

PROBLEM

Ignoring what simple available information can tell you:

Sampling results used as traffic light systemOccasional changes in taste are ignored

SOLUTION

Trend results from water analysisRemember biofilm affects taste - investigate

08 WHEN IT GOES WRONG

PROBLEM

Everyone rushes to superchlorinateOn its own its not the solution

SOLUTION

Follow L8Heating and cleaning firstCheck/remove deadlegs

FINAL COMMENT

CONTROL, CONTROL and CONTROL!