Water hygiene in Birmingham
Birmingham combines a large office core, major hospitals, universities and one of the UK's biggest HMO and student housing markets. Shared houses in Selly Oak and Edgbaston, and older commercial buildings around the Jewellery Quarter, are typical of the mixed stock we assess.
Older industrial and commercial buildings in the West Midlands frequently carry redundant pipework and dead legs left behind by previous refits.
Why local water matters
Water in Birmingham is generally moderately hard. Hard water deposits limescale on shower heads, taps, TMVs and inside calorifiers. Scale gives legionella bacteria a protected surface to grow on and can stop thermostatic valves working properly, so descaling and servicing intervals should reflect it.
The rules that apply in Birmingham
Legionella and water hygiene. In England, legionella duties come from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and COSHH 2002, with HSE's ACoP L8 and HSG274 setting the standard. Enforcement is by HSE or the local authority, depending on the premises.
Local enforcement. In Birmingham, legionella law is enforced by Birmingham City Council's environmental health team for offices, shops, hotels, restaurants and leisure premises, and by HSE for factories, warehouses, hospitals, schools and council-run premises.
Who we help in Birmingham
- Private landlords, letting agents and HMO operators
- Freeholders and managing agents of blocks of flats
- Offices, shops and commercial landlords
- Schools, colleges and student accommodation
- Care homes, GP surgeries and dental practices
- Hotels, guest houses and holiday lets
- Factories, warehouses and industrial estates