Two Keys to Success in Selecting “Evidence-based” Legionella Control Measures
One of the important criteria for a Legionella control measure is that it be evidence-based — meaning there is scientific evidence the measure will likely be effective in minimizing Legionella. Two...
View ArticleFour Reasons CDC’s New Toolkit Could Impact Legionnaires’ Litigation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report in early June about the increased number of Legionnaires’ disease cases and the need for building water management certainly caught the...
View ArticleUnprecedented Agreement in the United States About the Approach to Legionella...
After Legionella was discovered following the 1976 outbreak of what came to be known as Legionnaires’ disease, tremendous amounts of research ensued to find out why water systems promote growth of...
View ArticleFollowing ASHRAE 188 with Limited Time, Money, and Personnel: Pressure for...
Let’s be honest. Most people who work in facilities management, infection control, property management, safety, industrial hygiene, or engineering want to protect the people in their buildings from...
View ArticleComplying with CMS, ASHRAE 188, and New York Legionella Requirements: 7 Keys...
Updated on 6/24/19 To avoid a citation for non-compliance with the June 2 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) “requirement to reduce Legionella risk in healthcare facility water systems...
View ArticleInspecting Hospitals and Nursing Homes for the CMS Legionella Requirement:...
Updated on 6/24/19 To avoid a citation and receive Medicare or Medicaid reimbursements, hospitals and long-term care facilities must “demonstrate measures” that show compliance with the June 2017...
View ArticleThe Role of HPC in Water Management Programs
Updated on 6/24/19 The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “heterotrophs” as micro-organisms that require organic carbon for growth and Heterotrophic Plate Count (HPC) as colony counts using a...
View ArticleWhy State Officials Hold the Keys to Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease
Why State Officials Hold the Keys to Preventing Legionnaires’ Disease And ASHRAE Standard 188 is their Best Option for the Next Five Years by Matt Freije | May 3, 2018 Eight lessons learned from...
View ArticleCould ASHRAE 514 Increase Legionnaires’ Disease?
What do you think is the primary reason Legionnaires’ disease has not decreased since the outbreak in Philadelphia — 43 years ago this week — that led to its discovery? A. Agreement on a strategy for...
View ArticleAuditing ASHRAE 188 Water Management Programs (WMPs): 5 Secrets and 11...
If local and state authorities in the United States “require water management plans in all public buildings including hotels, businesses, schools, apartments, and government buildings” – as recommended...
View ArticleFour Key Warnings About COVID-19 and Building Water Systems
The new government, scientific, and industry publications on COVID-19 and building water systems (see “Further Reading” below)—hundreds of pages counting the papers referenced in them—boil down to four...
View ArticleFlushing a COVID-Closed Building Will Not Solve Its Legionella Problem
Is your inbox packed with warnings about flushing COVID-closed buildings before reopening? The warnings have been issued because buildings shut down or occupied less than normal become more prone to...
View ArticleASSE/IAPMO/ANSI Standard 12080: Professional Qualifications Standard for...
ASSE International should be commended for its leadership in establishing the first-ever certification program in the United States for people involved in managing the risk of Legionella associated...
View ArticleJoint Commission EC.02.05.02: Water Management Programs
Since 2001, the Joint Commission (TJC) has required that accredited hospitals minimize “pathogenic biological agents in cooling towers, domestic hot-and cold-water systems, and other aerosolizing...
View ArticleState (US) Regulations for Reducing Legionella Risk
New and proposed Legionella regulations indicate that state and local officials in the US are heeding advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to “consider changing building and...
View ArticleWhat is a Truly Healthy Building?
Healthy building initiatives that have in recent years been emphasized in the United States and Europe are important since so many people spend a large part of their lives indoors. What seems out of...
View ArticleStudy Reveals the Successes and Failures of ASHRAE 188 Water Management Plans
Matt Freije discusses a water management plan performance study at the 2022 Emerging Water Technologies Symposium. Data from a 2021 study showed that ASHRAE Standard 188 water management programs...
View ArticleMonitoring Building Water Quality to Reduce Risk and Stay in Legionella...
Matt Freije presents “Smart Monitoring of Premise Plumbing for Legionella Growth Conditions” at the 2022 Emerging Water Technologies Symposium. Monitoring domestic (potable) water for conditions...
View ArticleA Water Management Program is Not a Document, Policy, or Binder
CDC data on Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks from 2015-2019 highlights the crucial differences between a document and an implemented process for ASHRAE 188 water management programs (WMPs). Finding 82%...
View ArticleWill Your Liability Insurance Cover Legionella Claims?
Facility operators that assume their insurance policy will cover costs associated with lawsuits related to Legionnaires’ disease may be in for a big surprise. The insurance company may refuse to pay...
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