Awareness of Legionnaires’ Disease

This course has been designed to help raise awareness of Legionnaires’ disease by explaining how outbreaks might occur, and highlighting water systems that have a potentially high risk of developing the Legionnella bacterium.

On average there are approximately 200 to 250 reported cases of Legionnaires’ disease each year in the UK, although many believe this total is generally underestimated. The disease is caused by the ‘Legionella pneumophilia’ bacteria and is an extremely serious form of Legionellosis, causing high fever and proving fatal in approximately 12% of cases.

In an attempt to help reduce these figures, this module has been developed by Virtual College working with partners Life Environmental Services. It has been designed to help raise awareness of Legionnaires’ disease by explaining how outbreaks might occur, and highlighting water systems that have a potentially high risk of developing the Legionnella bacterium.

On completion, learners will have an increased understanding of Legionnaires’ disease, including the potential consequences of an outbreak and the symptoms associated with the disease. The module also provides information on the relevant legislation and requirements for compliance.

On completion of this course learners will be able to:

• Recognise the implications of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak
• Summarise how Legionnaires outbreaks can occur in water handling systems
• Identify relevant legislation and the requirements for compliance
• Recognise the role of water handling system owners
• Recognise the role of water handling systems safety providers
• Identify higher risk water handling system

Lesson Plan

Areas covered include:

• Welcome and Learning Objectives
• An Introduction to Legionnaires’ Disease in Water Handling Systems
• How do Legionnaires’ Outbreak Occur?
• Legislation and Compliance
• Water Handling Systems Owner’s Safety Responsibility
• Water Handling Systems – Service Provider Responsibility and Opportunity
• Legionella Risk System – Cooling Towers
• Legionella Risk – Hot and Cold Water Systems
• Photo Album and Summary

Accreditation

The content of this legionella training course has been independently certified as conforming to universally accepted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.

Certification

On completion of this legionella awareness training course you will be able to download a Virtual College certificate.

Duration

Approximately 2-3 hours. The length of time taken depends entirely on how quickly you can study and absorb the material. You can proceed as quickly or slowly as you like.

Target Audience

This legionella training online course is aimed primarily at those working with manufactured water handling systems or in an environment where water handling systems are used.

Entry Requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for this course.