The Director of Environmental and Public Health, through the provisions of the Public Health Act, requires that owners apply for registration with the local council. The main reason for this is to provide good records of cooling tower location and operation. This information greatly assists the Public and Environmental Health Service and local councils to urgently investigate and interrupt an outbreak of legionnaires disease. Registration may also reduce the occurrence of legionnaires disease by highlighting to all cooling tower owners the importance of good maintenance measures.
You must apply for registration of cooling towers with your local council. Household or domestic cooling towers do not need to be registered. Owners must comply with the Public Health Act 1997 Guidelines for Legionella 2001, issued by Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Councils also may impose additional conditions on registration.
Recommended maintenance requirements for cooling towers include:
The qualifications required to carry out maintenance are specified in the Public Health Act 1997 - Guidelines for Legionella 2001.
Yes - Maintenance records, including bacteriological monitoring, water treatment and testing, and cooling tower cleaning and disinfection must be kept and be available on site for inspection by officers authorised under the Public Health Act 1997. Authorised officers include local council environmental health officers.
There are statutory penalties for failing to comply with the requirements of the Public Health Act. If your tower is implicated as the source of infection of your employees in a case of Legionnaires' Disease and it has not been properly maintained, you may also be liable under occupational health and safety legislation. You may also be liable for common law damages claims by person infected or their dependants, on the grounds of negligence.
Application for registration of a Regulated System or Application for Renewal of Registration of a Regulated System can be obtained from the above link or from Council's Customer Service Centre, 16 Elizabeth Street, Hobart.
Please contact an Environmental Health Officer if you have any queries on 6238 2715.
This disease is caused by Legionella bacteria. There are over twenty species of Legionella, of which Legionella pneumophilia is responsible for many of the cases.
Legionella is a bacteria associated with water and is widespread in the environment. It has been found in lakes, rivers, creeks, hot springs and other bodies of water and soils. Legionella is also found in artificial environments such as cooling towers associated with air conditioning and industrial processes, as well as in reticulated warm water systems, where the temperature of the water is kept between 30?C and 50?C. These artificial systems can provide conditions, which allow the bacteria to breed to large numbers.
Infection is known to be acquired through breathing in aerosols (very fine droplets of water) which contain the bacteria. It is not passed from person to person nor is it acquired through drinking Legionella-contaminated water.
Cooling towers are used to provide cooling for a variety of industrial processes, including refrigeration and freezer plant, commercial size air conditioning and water-cooled compressors. A prime function of cooling towers is to recirculate water that would otherwise be run to waste. Evaporative condensers, which incorporate a refrigeration condensing coil, are regarded as cooling towers in relation to health aspects.
During the normal operation of a cooling tower, aerosols are formed which will be carried into the environment through the tower exhaust. If Legionella are present in the tower water, breathing the aerosols can result in infection. Poorly maintained cooling towers have been implicated in outbreaks of Legionnaires' Disease overseas and Australia.
To obtain an application form to register a cooling tower or warm water storage system, or to enquire about the registration procedure, contact your local council.
Copies of AS/NZS 3666.2 are available from Standards Australia, 237 Elizabeth Street, North Hobart, 7000, Ph (03) 6231 5885, Fax (03) 6231 5886, website www.standards.com.au.
This information was compiled by the Public and Environmental Health Branch, Department of Health & Human Services and reproduced by the Hobart City Council's Development and Environmental Services Division. It is current as at 16 October 2003.
For further information call the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738 or visit the website at www.dhhs.tas.gov.au/publichealth/environmentalhealth/coolingtowers.html.
