Valor Services supports hotels in legionella control

A healthy guest is a happy guest. So by betting on the health and safety of your hotel, you strengthen your customers' satisfaction. Moreover, many measures are also required by law. Just think of the risk analysis and management plans in the context of legionella control. Michael Ovaere of Valor Services Group explains how your hotel can comply with these and gives some practical tips. 

Legionella is an unsightly little bacterium that is found in natural water sources such as rivers, but thrives equally well in artificial water systems such as water pipes and boilers. When you inhale the bacteria through very small, atomised droplets - called aerosols - you can become infected and contract a severe pneumonia, known in slang as Legionnaires' disease. Several dozen people die every year from the effects of the disease. 

Risk factors for legionella are stagnant water with a temperature between 20 and 55 degrees. Thus, an empty hotel room or a boiler that does not heat enough is enough to expose a hotel to danger. This is why the 2007 Flemish Legionella Decree stipulates that hotels are at moderate risk of an outbreak and must take various measures for prevention. This includes a management plan drawn up before the first commissioning of the water supply and regular sampling. "We support and advise hotels to meet the legal obligations of that legionella control," explains Michael Ovaere of Valor Services Group. This Belgian-Dutch group is the expert in professional and specialist cleaning. Besides analysis, management and prevention, you can also turn to them for the cleaning of your sanitary systems.

An experienced partner

Everything starts with a thorough risk analysis, which you should preferably review annually but at least every five years. This should be done by a certified company such as Valor Services Group. You also need to hire an accredited partner for the resulting management plan. Michael: "In that plan, we describe the necessary preventive measures to limit the growth of legionella bacteria. Besides a logbook in which you keep track of compliance with those measures, you are obliged to have water samples analysed annually by an accredited laboratory. When the amount of micro-organisms per litre exceeds the threshold of 100 cfu/l, you have to take measures."

Prevention is better than cure

What can you do yourself to reduce the risk of legionella in your guest rooms? A simple measure is to flush stagnant water pipes regularly. Stagnant water provides ideal conditions for legionella growth, so flush the pipes in infrequently used rooms at least weekly with hot water above sixty degrees. Also, keep the temperature of your hot water system consistently above sixty degrees and in cold water pipes below twenty degrees.

"In pipes that are not used often, a slime layer or biofilm can develop. With a flushing schedule that includes a weekly flushing session, you prevent the growth of such a film and the spread of legionella bacteria," Michael recommends. "By also regularly cleaning and inspecting cooling towers, water reservoirs and other water-containing systems for biofilm, you reduce the risk of infection. An anti-legionella shower head is also a wise measure. A micron filter traps legionella particles and is 99 per cent certain to prevent infection, as long as you change the filter quarterly, of course." 

Still an infection?

Do the samples taken still exceed the legal thresholds or does contamination occur? Even then, Valor Services Group is the partner of choice to keep legionella under control. "In such a case, we turn to thermal or chemical disinfection," Michael reassures. "This involves treating the water network with high temperatures or an agent such as chlorine dioxide to kill the legionella bacteria. An effective way to control infections and preserve the good name of your hotel."