Cooling towers registration

If your businesses has a 'notifiable device' - a wet cooling tower or an evaporative condenser you must notify us with details of the installation. The only exception to this rule are when the tower or condenser contains water which is not exposed to the air, or when the water and electrical supply is disconnected.

Even if the premises is enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), you must still notify us.

This is required under The Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992.

The main purpose of these regulations is to prevent legionellosis (including legionnaires disease) and to help in any investigation of outbreaks. Such systems need careful management to prevent the growth of legionella bacteria which can cause legionnaires disease if they are dispersed in the air and then inhaled. Keeping an up to date register allows for easier identification, monitoring and inspection by us should the need arise.

Register a cooling tower

If you are planning on installing a cooling tower, you should notify us in advance. You can register using the online form below.

Register a cooling tower or evaporative condenser

This notification process only needs to be completed once.

In addition, you must also: 

• Appoint a suitably trained responsible person to oversee the system.
• Carry out a risk assessment of the tower water system to look for potential sources of legionella bacteria.
• From the assessment, put controls (both physical and chemical) in place to prevent the growth of legionella.
• Maintain these controls and a monitoring regime to ensure the system remains stable and free from bacterial growth.

You must notify us of any changes, including if the cooling tower becomes redundant or is decommissioned regardless of whether it is taken apart and removed or not. Please clarify if the tower is removed or decommissioned and drained down but likely to be put back into use. You should do this within one month of the change by emailing eandr@nfdc.gov.uk.

Guidance

For specific guidance on the management of cooling towers please visit HSE Cooling Towers.

Public register  

We are required to maintain a public register of premises containing cooling towers or evaporative condensers.