AIRAH Book Review
Legionellae Control in Health Care Facilities: A Guide for Minimizing Risk

Book Review by the Australian Institute of Refrigeration Air Conditioning & Heating (AIRAH). Legionellae Control in Health Care Facilities: A Guide for Minimizing Risk. Reviewed by Clive Broadbent.

Legionnaires' disease outbreaks are always sure to catch the headlines and usually, of course, cause worry and concern.  This may be especially so if the centre of an outbreak is a hospital or nursing home.

With an aging population, more susceptible people are likely to be exposed to the hazards presented by Legionella than in the past.  Unless we do more by way of preventative measures.

Matt Freije is a mechanical engineer who practices in the air conditioning field in the USA.  His special interest is hospital engineering and tech writing.

This book is his latest.  It is full of useful and practical information.  Matt has really tackled the thorny problem issues head on.  These include:

  • settlement amounts for several legal actions,

  • factors that help plaintiffs,

  • risk management considerations,

  • do's and don'ts,

  • acceptable levels of legionellae,

  • salient features of some outbreaks,

  • procedures that waste time and money,

  • environmental sampling techniques,

  • how to carry out disinfection,

  • how to respond to an outbreak

and many more.  I like the book because it is very much a "what to do" book.  There's no beating around the bush and it's written in a very chatty style.

Although written by an American, the book is well suited to the Australian scene.  In fact major contributions came from Australians and some 10 of the 48 references are by Australian authors.

Health officials and the air conditioning industry in Australia have responded well to the potential for outbreaks but constant vigilance is still needed.  Implementing the safety recommendations in this book should greatly diminish the risk of disease, particularly those that are hospital-related.

The book may be ordered direct from the publishers, HC Information Resources, Inc.