NSW Health has just released the highly anticipated Legionella control regulation to protect the public from Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks caused by cooling towers. The new regulations have introduced significant changes to the management of every cooling tower system in NSW.

With mandatory monthly testing and notification of very high levels of Legionella and/or HCC to local Government introduced on 1 Jan 2018, today’s changes include:

  1. A new monthly report in the “Approved Form” for each system
  2. Compulsory Risk Management Plan (RMP) per cooling tower
  3. Annual audit for compliance to the RMP
  4. Amendments to existing RMPs to follow the NSW Health ‘Approved Form’ template;
  5. All service reports to be completed on the NSW Health ‘Approved Form’
  6. Each cooling tower requires the installation of a unique identification number
  7. The system must be maintained in accordance with AS/NZS 3666.3:2011 and serviced at least once a month by a “duly qualified person”
  8. A new penalty has been introduced for falsifying reports or results

Legionella Control Guidelines

NSW Health has also released comprehensive Guidelines for practical guidance on the legal requirements. This document details the roles and responsibilities, explains the risk factors, runs through the RMP process and outlines reporting, response and administrative requirements. You can find a copy of the Guidelines on the NSW Health website at: http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/legionellacontrol/Pages/guidelines-legionella-control.aspx

Further Updates in the Next Few Days

The Regulations were released on Friday 10 August 2018. At this stage, the “Approved Forms” have not been released. In addition, the Guidelines have only just been published. As a consequence, we will take a few days to process all of the new information prior to summarising and explaining how this impacts you.

HydroChem have extensive knowledge and experience in the management of Legionella and our team understand both state and national government requirements. We will review the new regulations and take you through the exact steps to help you adhere to the new requirements and avoid hefty fines.