Health and safety

Cooling towers and evaporative condensers help to remove excess heat from sites such as:

• power stations
• chemical plants

If your commercial site uses a cooling tower or evaporative condenser, you must tell your local council in writing unless:

• it contains no water that's exposed to air
• its water supply is not connected
• its electrical supply is not connected

If you make any changes to your cooling tower or evaporative condenser, you must tell us about them in writing immediately.

The reason why the law requires you to tell us is because of the possibility of Legionella. This is a bacteria that can be found in wet cooling towers and evaporative condensers. It can cause Legionnaires Disease.

Legionnaires' disease is a type of pneumonia. The agent that causes Legionnaires' disease is a bacterium called Legionella pneumophilia.

People catch Legionnaires' disease by inhaling small droplets of water suspended in the air, which contain the bacteria.

Conditions that increase the risk from legionella include:

• a suitable temperature for growth, 20°C to 45°C
• a source of nutrients for the organism, such as sludge, scale, rust, algae, and other organic matter
• a way of creating and spreading breathable droplets, such as the aerosol created by a cooling tower or spa pool

Outbreaks of the illness occur from exposure to legionella growing in purpose-built systems where the water is maintained at a temperature high enough to encourage growth. Examples include:

• cooling towers
• evaporative condensers
• spa pools
• hot water systems used in all sorts of work and domestic premises

Most community outbreaks in the UK have been linked to installations such as cooling towers, which can spread droplets of water over a wide area. These are found as part of:

• air-conditioning, and
• industrial cooling systems

To prevent exposure to the legionella bacteria, employers must comply with legislation that requires them to:

• manage,
• maintain, and
• treat water systems in their premises properly

This will include, but is not to be limited to, appropriate water treatment and cleaning regimes.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced:

• an Approved Code of Practice
• guidance on controlling legionella bacteria in water systems

This is to assist employers in assessing the risk of employees and others in the workplace contracting Legionnaires' disease. Copies of the guidance can be obtained from HSE books.

By law, you must notify us if a cooling tower is situated on any premises, of which you have control, in Southend-on-Sea.

How to apply to tell us, or make changes to your notification

You can notify us through MySouthend, for a notification or apply to make a change, by completing our online form.

An officer from either Southend City Councils Regulatory Services team or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) may then contact you to arrange a safety inspection of your site.

If you need more information, please contact us.

Cooling towers and evaporative condensers that we currently have in Southend-on-Sea

Essex Injection Mouldings Ltd

• Address: Unit 15, Craftsman Square, Temple Farm Industrial Estate, Southend-on -Sea, SS2 5RH
• How many and type: Two
• Status: Registered 22.01.1993

Essex Web Design

• Address: 15 Towerfield Road, Shoeburyness, SS3 9QL
• How many and type: one

Fruits of the Sea Ltd

• Address: 11 Towerfield Road, Shoeburyness, SS3 9QE
• How Many and Type: One Cooling Tower
• Registered: 4.06.2024