CareHomeDeskCareHomeDeskIf your care home has a cooling tower, these are the specific L8 duties that apply.
Cooling towers and evaporative condensers create aerosols of water droplets that can be inhaled. If the water in the system is contaminated with Legionella, these aerosols can cause Legionnaires' disease in people downwind of the tower -- including residents in rooms with open windows. This is why cooling towers have specific L8 obligations beyond those for hot and cold water systems.
All cooling towers and evaporative condensers must be registered with the local authority under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992. This is a legal requirement and failure to register is an offence. Notify the local authority in writing within one month of commissioning.
Biocide dosing must be maintained within the parameters specified in the written scheme. Conductivity (total dissolved solids) must be controlled through bleedoff. Drift eliminators must be in place and in good condition. The system must be cleaned and disinfected at least twice per year (every six months) and following any shutdown of more than five days.
CareHomeDesk gives you compliance checklists, maintenance logs, and contractor management tools built around exactly this kind of knowledge.