New Laws on Cooling Tower Systems 

On January 1 2010, a number of important changes will take effect relating to the registration and management of cooling towers.

Changes that will occur

The new Act and Regulations will mean that:

• Registration of cooling tower system will be done by the Department of Health rather than the Building Commission;
• Penalties for failing to register a cooling tower system have increased significantly;
• Registration periods can now be up to 3 years;
• Risk management plans must now include steps that you are taking to comply with maintenance and testing requirements (including remedial action following an adverse test result);
• The HCC trigger level for action has been increased to 200,000 CFU/mL and there is now an alternative process which can be followed when a high HCC result is obtained;
• There is mandatory requirement for a minimum of a Legionella test every three months.

What do the changes mean for your current RMP?

Your current RMP will need to be updated to ensure it complies with the new laws. The quickest way to do this is to complete and attach this RMP insert to your current RMP.

It is important that this additional information is integrated into your current RMP as soon as possible to avoid problems with your current RMP.

If you require help completing this insert, please contact HydroChem's RMP department on (03) 9553 1011.