LEGIONELLA - World Health Organization

3.3.3 Management and communication
The steps involved in management and communication — shown in Figure 3.2, and discussed
below — are to:
• develop supporting programs
• prepare management procedures
• establish documentation and communication procedures.
Develop supporting programs
Supporting programmes are actions that are important for ensuring water safety but are not
control measures. They include:
• training and educating personnel involved in activities that could influence the water quality
(these activities should include refresher training, to regularly assess and update competencies;
also, records of all training should be maintained)
• gathering evidence-based data on which to base health-related targets
• developing verification protocols for the use of chemicals and other control measures (e.g. to
ensure the use of suppliers that participate in quality assurance programmes).
Supporting programmes can be identified and incorporated within the WSP as a part of the
system assessment process.
Prepare management procedures
Effective management of the water system should include procedures for:
• the actions that should be taken in response to variations in the water system that occur
during normal operational conditions
• the actions that should be taken in specific “incident” situations
• the actions that should be taken in unforeseen and emergency situations.
• Procedures should be realistic, without increasing the complexity of the system’s operation.
They should clearly identify the responsibilities of all people involved in system operation
and maintenance, and should identify an individual responsible for overall implementation.
Establish documentation and communication procedures
Documentation of a WSP should include:
• details of all personnel involved in developing and identifying control measures and
maintenance strategies (this list should also clearly identify an individual with
managerial responsibility for implementing and reviewing the WSP)
LEGIONELLA AND THE PREVENTION OF LEGIONELLOSIS