If my friends could see me now

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Oh, how we dreamed as final-year Sheffield University students of wafting our chemistry degrees at employers and having them fight to hire us.

We'd settle for nothing less than a fat salary, international travel and an expensively equipped research laboratory.

Dream on (or, rather, off). Last week I climbed through a narrow opening into the loft space above a dental practice.

The week before, I was on the roof of a Harley Street practice. Just recently, I've been in more cellars than a fine wine merchant.

As a dentistry consultant with an 'Attila' (Attila the Hun – 2:1) in chemistry, I guess it's no surprise I should add Legionella risk assessments to my portfolio.

The core of my business is working with principals and their teams. Helping them raise treatment plan take-up and improve conversion of new enquiries into long-term patients gives me expertise in the workings of dental practices.

Over time, it has added several layers of knowledge to the broad experience I gained during 10 years as a dental business manager.

I get a quite different insight while doing the Legionella risk assessments. For example, problems often seem to arise when practices occupy shared premises or have an unhelpful landlord. One practice I went to only communicated with their landlord through solicitors.

Older shared premises, while invariably looking charming from outside, can be fraught with difficulties.

In these practices, I quite often struggle to find, let alone access, the water tank and on one occasion neither the practice principal nor I could track it down. These are the times I usually end up climbing into a loft space or descending into a gloomy cellar.

Other incidents can be amusing – afterwards!

I once turned on the tap of a basin and was letting the water run before taking the temperature. Hey, how was I supposed to know it was never used and didn't have a waste pipe? Yes, I always check now.

While I can't say I've detected Legionella (it's not a simple test and I don't undertake it) I have come across many problems to be addressed.

For example stored water that is not hot enough, (i.e. below 60°C)  or not reaching all outlets at 50°C within one minute are both big issues.

Legionella bacteria are present in minute quantities in all main water supplies and thrive at temperatures between 20 to 45 °C (the optimum temperature for proliferation being 36°C). They also feed on any slime or biofilms present in tanks or pipework. High temperatures, above 48°C, rapidly kill them.

Water being sprayed is another potential hazard. Legionnaire's Disease is not contracted by imbibing water or droplets but by inhaling water aerosol or spray contaminated by the bacteria.

Hence the need to control the amount of water spray released.

My consultancy work focuses on patient (aka customer) relations, treatment plan take-up (aka sales quotation follow-up) and patient satisfaction audits (aka customer fulfilment surveys) – all of which have clear 'real-world' business parallels.

Add in the premises, equipment, health and safety requirements arising from Legionella risk assessments and I remain convinced that dental practices (aka commercial premises) are businesses. Or should be…

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The above is testament to why using a Water Management Company is the only way to become compliant in obtaining a Legionella Risk Assessment.

The challenges mentioned and are used as a press release to advertise a relatively new business, are just a part of a normal days work for a Legionella Risk Assessor & not worth crowing about.

When a qualified Legionella Risk Assessor prepares a Legionella Risk Assessment, the Water System pipework is traced & mapped in the form of a Schematic Drawing. This is a basic requirement of the Assessment and is detailed in the HSE Guideline ACoP L8. This Assessment identifies all issues within the Water System, and in particular high risk areas such as 'Dead Legs', which is what the pipework to a disused sink has become.

Running the tap here exposed Jacqui to potentially contaminated water spray – this was a very naive and irresponsible action and surely not the best example to mention in a press release?

Jacqui, you didnt mention if you fixed this Dead Leg yourself (was plumbing also a part of Atila The Hun) or did you identify this as a high-risk area within the Risk Assessment and requiring the attention of a Water Management Professional to make good?

I note that you are not a member of the Legionella Control Association and that your website has no reference to membership of any related trade association.

Do you have sufficient Insurance to indemnify a Dental Practice Owner that should you fail to identify an outbreak and somebody dies as a result of your negligence, that you have sufficient insurance to cover any claim made for such a loss?

Surely it would be best to leave Legionella Risk Assessments to Water Management Companies accredited by the Legionella Control Association?

When I go for my annual dental check up, I dont go to a "catch-all" consultancy that may or may not be suitably qualified to perform same, and is trying its hand at making a few quid on the latest legislation. I choose to use a qualified dentist.

Dental Professionals object to any unqualified individual or company trading as a Dental Practice for many reasons (and rightly so!), so why should Water Management Professionals accept a similar invasion?

The following websites will refer you to Legionella Control Association accredited Water Management Companies to complete Legionella Risk Assessments undertaken by qualified Legionella Risk Assessors at very competitive prices – these websites are Water Management Industry specific Quote Sites

www.legionellaquote.com
www.legionellawaterquote.com
www.legionellariskassessmentquote.com

Rant Over !!!

Posted by blatant plug 22/6/11 at 05:31

Whilst I thank you for your considered comments "blatant plug" I would just like to highlight that this is a Blog, something that was supposed to be light-hearted reading. Whilst Legionella Risk Assessments are a serious consideration, the article was supposed to raise a smile, not cause such emotive feelings.

Posted by jacquigoss 22/6/11 at 16:14

ah but thats the problem with blogs emails facebook etc-intent is dificult to measure

Posted by gordie 22/6/11 at 18:01