Employers do not often worry about the respiratory illness, Legionnaires Disease, but the occurrences have
increased five-fold since 2000, and experts are unsure as to the
reasons. OSHA takes Legionnaires Disease seriously and
maintains a page on its www.OSHA.gov site. OSHA notes that Legionnaires
Disease occurs in certain common workplace settings:
Improperly maintained water systems,
such as domestic or industrial water systems or large HVAC systems,
are among the leading sources of worker exposure to the bacteria
that cause Legionnaires' disease.
Legionella bacteria are
more likely to become suspended in the air (i.e., aerosolized) when
the water is part of a system that includes the water's passing
through components such as cooling towers, shower heads, and
faucets. Once aerosolized, there is a risk for worker exposure that
could result in Legionellosis.
