After disease outbreak, ASHRAE legionella standard adopted in New York

After an outbreak of legionellosis that caused 12 deaths, the New York City Council voted to require adherence to part of ASHRAE’s newly published legionella standard.

More than 120 cases of infection due to legionellosis were reported in New York. The legislation pertains to registration and inspection of cooling towers. Owners must create and file a plan to maintain equipment to comply with Section 7.2 of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 188-2015, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems.

The standard provides minimum legionellosis risk management requirements for the design, construction, commissioning, operation, maintenance, repair, replacement and expansion of new and existing buildings and their associated water systems and components.  

“Standard 188 was published just two short months ago,” ASHRAE President David Underwood said. “Although the circumstances surrounding its use are tragic, ASHRAE is grateful that the standard is available to set requirements to manage risk of this bacteria. We are hopeful other governments will follow the lead of the New York City Council to help safeguard public health.”