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.”
Related Stories
| Feb 23, 2012
Federal agencies fixed on leasing LEED-certified space
The federal government is especially focused on renting LEED-certified spaces.
| Feb 23, 2012
Regulators investigating construction accident at World Trade Center
The New York Port Authority and the city’s fire and building departments are investigating an accident at the World Trade Center construction site in lower Manhattan after a crane dropped steel beams that fell about 40 stories onto the truck that delivered them.
| Feb 23, 2012
New Virginia statewide building code goes into effect March 1
After March 1, all building plans in Virginia must adhere to the 2009 code that was adopted a year ago.
| Feb 23, 2012
Privatizing flood insurance could lead to new code requirements
One thing that could pave the way toward private flood insurance would be NFIP reforms, like requiring new construction in flood-prone areas to be elevated.
| Feb 22, 2012
ACI BIM manual for cast-in-place concrete in development
The improved communication, coordination, and collaboration afforded by BIM implementation have already been shown to save time and money in projects.
| Feb 20, 2012
Comment period for update to USGBC's LEED Green Building Program now open
This third draft of LEED has been refined to address technical stringency and rigor, measurement and performance tools, and an enhanced user experience.
| Feb 20, 2012
GAF introduces web portal for architects and specifiers
The new portal offers a clean look with minimal clutter to make it easier to find the technical information and product data that architects need.
| Feb 17, 2012
AGC advocates for federal procurement reform
Ensure that small business goals take into consideration actual small business capacity in relevant specialty markets.
| Feb 17, 2012
Codes not to blame for Anchorage roof collapses following heavy snows
Design or construction problems likely contributed to the collapses, according to city officials.
