International. ASHRAE announced its intention to continue the development of a standard to establish safe management practices for the construction of water systems. The global public health organization NSF International recently transferred the facilitation of NSF Standard 444, Minimizing the Risk of Diseases and Injuries Associated with the Construction of Water Systems, to ASHRAE to complete the development process of the standard and publish it as ASHRAE 514.
The proposed ASHRAE 514 standard will be designated as a safety standard. The committee will coordinate with SSPC 188, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Building Water Systems, to ensure there is no conflict or duplication between the two standards. Where applicable, the document will refer to the ANSI/ASHRAE 188-2018 standard, Legionellosis: Risk Management for Water Systems in Buildings. The committee will use NSF 444: Prevention of Injuries and Illnesses Associated with Building Water Systems as a base document.
ASHRAE Standard 514 will be based on the fundamentals provided by Standard 188 and Standard 444. Standard 188 focuses on Legionella, which offers guidance on the implementation of water management programs in buildings, while Standard 444 provides a methodology covering the prevention of injuries and illnesses caused by Legionella, as well as other water pathogens, chemicals and physical hazards.
"Standard 514 will go further to address water quality in construction, the importance of managing safe and quality building water systems, and prevention strategies," said ASHRAE 2018-2019 President Sheila J. Hayter, P.E. "We appreciate NSF International's contributions and anticipate the publication of an innovative standard that will help safeguard construction and public health."
Both ASHRAE and NSF International agree that the standard is urgently needed to help regulators, public health departments, building owners and healthcare facilities better manage the risk of Legionella and other waterborne pathogens and hazards in building water systems and help save lives.
"We are focused on getting the standard into the hands of people who can use it to prevent outbreaks of Legionella and other waterborne pathogens," said Jessica Evans, Director of Standards at NSF International. "We are proud of our contribution to this standard and are confident that ASHRAE will be able to bring together all the stakeholders needed to finalize the standard."
NSF International and ASHRAE are accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop voluntary standards and both must meet ANSI's essential requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process. While ASHRAE will facilitate the development of the standard, the actual content of the standard will continue to be developed by a committee of stakeholders from the academic, public health, regulatory and industrial sectors. Dozens of stakeholders from these sectors remain committed and committed to the standard development process, including 21 voting members, 21 pending members and 95 observers from the NSF International and ASHRAE committees.
A call for members for Standard 514 is expected in early March, with a 30-day deadline for applications for new members.
The CDC estimates that between 8,000 and 18,000 people are hospitalized with Legionnaires' disease in the United States each year, with more than 7,500 cases reported in 2017.
