Step One: Validating the Effectiveness of Your Water Management Plan

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers or ASHRAE released a new standard in 2015 relating to Legionella prevention. Known specifically as ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, the standard targets an intended audience of individuals that maintain and manage building water systems, defining the following:

Types of buildings and devices that need a water management program
Minimum required components of a water management program
The appropriate personnel for the water management program team
Dates and appropriate intervals for water management program reassessment and update

Additionally, Legionella water management programs are now an industry standard for large buildings in the United States. Large facility water systems can be complex and may harbor pathogens. Maintenance, renovations and service interruptions can cause even more hazardous conditions. Routine testing for Legionella pneumophila is the only way to determine if your water management plan is working. “Water sampling is critical to determining whether Legionnaires’ disease bacteria are present and at what levels," OSHA states in its guidelines for Legionnaires' disease. You can read more regarding the OSHA guidelines at https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/legionnaires/sampling.html

Earthwise Environmental can provide guidance on ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015 and aid in validating your water management plan. More information on the specifics of the ANSI/ASHRAE standard can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/legionella/health-depts/ashrae-faqs.html.

Step One: Validating the Effectiveness of Your Water Management Plan

Reality Check

Reality Check

Reality Check

Reality Check