US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taps IFMA to help reduce Legionella growth and spread in buildings

Monday, June 20th, 2016

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has tapped IFMA to help reduce the incidence of Legionella that led to the building-associated Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks CDC investigated from 2000 through 2014. This request underscores the critical role facility management plays in the built environment, with the health and safety of building occupants being a top priority for IFMA’s 24,000 facility management (FM) professionals.

FM professionals are key to preventing public health risks, such as Legionnaires’ disease, and responding to outbreaks. In CDC’s latest Vital Signs, new tools and information are available for facility maintenance professionals and technicians to help building owners and managers carry out Legionella water management programs based on newly published standards.

Cases of Legionnaires’ disease in the U.S. grew by nearly four times from 2000 through 2014. CDC investigations of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks show that about nine in 10 were caused by problems that could have been prevented with more effective water management. Environmental assessments conducted as part of CDC investigations show that outbreaks of this disease are due to common problems, such as human errors like not properly cleaning a hot tub filter or changes in water quality caused by external factors like nearby construction.

Explore CDC’s new Vital Signs on preventing Legionnaires’ disease, including a toolkit for developing a Legionella water management program, infographic fact sheet and more.

In April, IFMA joined forces with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) to better support the critical role the FM plays in the built environment industry. Whether it’s health and public safety, productivity or sustainability, the IFMA-RICS collaboration is leading the global conversation for modern FM practices.