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Occupational Health and Safety Cooling Tower Management

Introduction

Monash University is committed to providing employees, students, contractors and visitors with a healthy and safe environment for work and study. To ensure a healthy and safe environment at Monash, a risk management program for the implementation and ongoing management of cooling towers has been embarked upon at all Monash Campuses. Liaison between key personnel is maintained to ensure that there is a co-operative and proactive approach to cooling tower risk management.

What Is Legionella And What About Cooling Towers?

Information sheets have been developed to provide background information on Legionella disease and cooling tower management to students and staff at Monash University.

Information sheets:

Cooling Tower Registrations

The Building (Legionella) Act 2000 requires all Cooling Tower Systems to be registered with the Building Commission. For Cooling Tower Systems in operation before 1st March 2001, an application to register must be lodged before 1st September 2001.

For Cooling Tower Systems that are commissioned on or after 1st March 2001, an application to register must be lodged before the system is tested and commissioned. Registration is for a period of twelve months and the application for renewal must be lodged before the expiry of the previous registration.

Legionella Risk Management

The Victorian Government has developed a comprehensive strategy (2001) to reduce the incidence of Legionaires' disease by strengthening the regulatory framework and improving the maintenance standards for cooling tower systems. The Department of Human Services has produced a simple to use proforma for carrying out risk management of individual cooling towers. This has been further customised for Monash use.

Please Click to download word version of the Risk Management Plan Assessment Form (Word 715kb).

All Monash Cooling Towers have been registered within the required time frames, and are being managed in compliance with the Victorian governments' guidelines on Cooling Tower management. Cooling towers are regularly cleaned, disinfected, and tested for both total Bacterial count (TBC) and Legionella spp bacteria. Notification procedures have been developed for all Campuses to ensure that positive test results are communicated to the relevant staff.

Notification Procedures

Notification procedures have been developed for notification of Legionella detection and high total bacterial count detection in cooling towers. Notification procedures for reported cases of Legionella disease have also been developed. These procedures are designed to ensure that all relevant persons are notified of any instances of detection to ensure the proactive management of any risks that may arise.

  • Legionella notification procedures (pdf 107kb) for:

    • positive legionella bacteria and/or multiple elevated bacterial levels in cooling tower water and
    • confirmed case/s of legionells disease

Cooling Tower Status Reports - Roof Access Permits

At all campuses it is required that before a roof access permit is issued for roof access to within close proximity to an operating cooling tower, the issuing person is required to establish the testing status of the cooling tower.  For all Victorian campuses and other sites the Current Cooling Tower Status Report (see below) is provided on-line, and can be viewed to ensure that the tower is 'clear'.  If the cooling tower status is reported as 'not clear' please contact the responsible persons referred to in the Status Report.

Contact

If you have any questions regarding Legionella disease or Cooling Tower Management please do not hesitate to contact one of the following:

Manager: Mechanical Services & Utilities 9905 3003
Plant Operations & Project Co-ordinator 9905 3040
Occupational Hygienist 9905 1034
Occupational Nurses 9905 1014

Information for Facilities & Services Management Staff