ASHRAE 188 COMPLIANCE
Water Sampling
Risk Management for Building Water Systems
What We Do
We develop Water Management Programs (WMP), provide Outbreak Response Risk Management,
conduct Water Sampling and facilitate Insurance Claims Investigation to mitigate your Legionella risks.
Are You in Compliance?
In 2015, ASHRAE developed a new Standard aimed at preventing the growth and spread of Legionella.
Proactively managing building water systems and reducing the potential for Legionella growth by following this Standard can help building and facility managers prevent many legionellosis cases.
ASHRAE 188 applies to healthcare and hospitality facilities, including:
- Where patients stay overnight
- Buildings with open or closed circuit cooling towers
- Buildings with more than 10 stories (including sub-levels)
- Multiple housing units with central potable hot water heater
- Where people with a weakened immune system are housed or treated
- Where people with chronic or acute medical problems are housed or treated
- Where people older than 65 years are housed or treated, with or without on-site skilled nursing staff
- Buildings with water systems that can aerosolize water particles including decorative fountains, misting systems, whirlpools, spas, etc.
ASHRAE 188 contains special considerations for healthcare facilities.
CDC encourages all healthcare facilities to include clinical disease surveillance as well as environmental surveillance in their legionellosis risk management plans.
Water Sampling
In June 2017, CMS established requirements to reduce Legionella risk in healthcare facility water systems. This requirement includes consideration for environmental testing for pathogens and establishing testing protocols, control measures, control limits and corrective actions if limits exceeded.
Changes in water quality that may lead to Legionella growth include low chlorine levels, water main breaks, construction start up/shut down, prior history of Legionnaires Disease in facility, difficulty in maintaining water quality within control limits and changes in municipal water quality, source and sedimentation.
Failure to comply increases your risk of citation for non-compliance with CMS conditions of participation.
Risk Assessment to determine IF WATER SAMPLING IS NEEDED
There are pros/cons to sampling and it is NOT required by ASHRAE or CMS in the absence of disease (not applicable to New York, however). If it is determined that water sampling is required or is the best option, Risknomics will:
- Assist in the development of a water sampling protocol including types of samples to be taken, frequency, locations
- Perform on site water sampling and properly forward water samples to an ELITE certified Legionella laboratory
- Review sample results and develop response strategy based upon sample results
We use independent ELITE certified Laboratories to perform the water analysis.
We can help you determine IF WATER SAMPLING WILL BE STRATEGICALLY BENEFICIAL and if so, assist in the process from sampling location determination thru analysis results and response actions to be taken.
Legionella Response Offices
Legionella Response Command Center
880 Seven Hills Drive Suite 180 Henderson, NV 89052
Open Office Hours
Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Pacific
Phone
480.315.1100
After Hours: 602.628.8209
