A Staffordshire business leader has been elected on to the ruling body of a national industry body on water safety in the workplace.

Lizzie Ward, Managing Director of SAS Water Ltd, attended her first meeting as a member of the Legionella Control Association (LCA) national committee in mid-November.

The LCA sets standards for companies working to monitor and control water in the workplace. Breathing in tiny airborne droplets of water contaminated with bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially fatal form of pneumonia.

Lizzie leads a 15-strong team of legionella consultants and commercial plumbers working across the UK from offices in Leek, Staffordshire.

She said: “It is a privilege to be elected on to the LCA committee. It’s an honour not just for me but for our dedicated SAS Water team who are committed to setting high safety standards and educating people on how to work to combat legionella and other bacteria in workplace water.”

“I am looking forward to working with the LCA team to uphold and promote best practice for our industry.

“I am a keen campaigner for water safety in the workplace, and this new platform will help me to raise awareness at a higher level.

“I have always believed we have a duty to give back. Compared to many workplace risks, such as gas and electrical safety, duties to control legionella bacteria are not well known to every business owner and premises manager. This needs to change.”

“By law, those responsible for workplaces must carry-out a legionella risk assessment. They have a duty to appoint a responsible person to manage risk and to educate their team on legionella safety.”

The LCA’s membership is made up of companies which either provide legionella control services or provide products which support the control of legionella bacteria in water systems.

The primary aim is to keep water systems safe and minimise the risk of cases of Legionnaires’ disease caused by poorly maintained systems.

The organisation has a code of conduct and sets service standards for members to comply with.

There were 604 confirmed cases of Legionnaires’ disease in 2023 – a rise of 191 from the previous year – according to the latest published figures from the UK Health Security Agency for England and Wales.

 ENDS

The LCA website can be found at www.legionellacontrol.org.uk,

To find out more about SAS Water, please follow the link to www.saswater.co.uk.

News release issued by Nigel Howle, telephone 0776 2043436, email [email protected].