1. R.D. 865/2000 The measures contained in the Royal Decree are applicable to facilities that use water in their operations, produce aerosols and are located inside or outside of the buildings of collective use, industrial facilities or means of transport that can be susceptible to become the source for the spread of the disease, during its work, service or maintenance testing.        The facilities excluded are those ones located in buildings dedicated to the exclusive use of housing, except those affecting the table 1, it is shown the classification of the different facilities according to the outside environment of these buildings. The duties of the owners of the facilities and the companies that  are in charged of the installations of cooling towers and evaporative condensers  are to include  the notification to the Health Authorities of the number and technical specifications,  the changes affecting the system, as well as the cessation of the activity of the installation. The time limit to notify it, It is a month from working or cessation of the activity.

The owners of the facilities are responsible of the compliance and to carry out the programs of periodic maintenance, the structural and functional improvements and the microbiological quality and physical and chemistry control of the water.
In addition, they should have a register showing the date of all maintenance operations, protocols followed, certificates of the contracted companies the analytical results carried out, and the signings of the technical installation managers and installation.
 

Scope of application
 

The measures contained in this Royal Decree will be applied to installations which use water in their operations, those that produce aerosols and are located inside or outside  the buildings of collective use, industrial facilities or means of transport that may be susceptible to become the focus for the spread of the disease, during its operation, testing service or maintenance.
 
According to what it is established in this Royal Decree facilities are classified in:
 
1º - Facilities with more proliferation and dispersion probability of the Legionella:
 
a - Cooling towers and evaporative condensers.
b - Systems for domestic hot water with accumulator and return circuit.
c - Heated water systems  with constant agitation and recirculation through high-speed jets or air injection (spas, jacuzzis, swimming pools, therapeutic bathtubs, whirlpools, treatments with jets, others).
d -Industrial humidifiers.
 
2º - Facilities with smaller proliferation and dispersion probability of the Legionella:
 
a - Inner cold water installation systems for human consumption (pipes, tanks, wells), cisterns or mobile containers and sanitary hot water without return circuit.
b - Evaporative cooling equipment that pulverizes water, not included in section 2.1. °
c - Humidifiers.
d - Ornamental fountains.
e - Systems of irrigation by aspersion in the urban environment.
f - Fire water systems.
g - Outdoor cooling elements by aerosols.
h - Other apparatus that accumulate water and can produce aerosols.
 
3º. Risk facilities in respiratory therapy:
 
a -Respiratory therapy equipment.
b - Respirators.
c - Nebulizers.
d - Other medical equipment in contact with the respiratory tract.
 
2. Technical regulations
 

The majority of the technical rules published, both national and regional laws take into account, and it is indicated in its texts, the information contained in the regulation UNE 100030 IN "Air conditioning. Guide for the prevention of Legionella in facilities".
 

In 1994, it was published the UNE 100030 report, whose purpose and field of application was to provide criteria for the prevention of the pollution of certain facilities and equipment by the Legionella bacteria, and for the control of the environmental multiplication.These criteria considered the adoption of appropriate measures at the stages of design and exploitation of some systems and installations, mainly in the buildings, which included those of air conditioning and ventilation and the preparation and distribution of domestic hot and cold water. In this guide, actions in case of outbreak of legionellosis, whose jurisdiction belongs to the Health Authorities, were not established.
In the 538 NTP report, it is included a summary of the main preventive measures contained in such regulation.
 
In 2001 it was published a new regulation UNE 100030 "Guide for the prevention and control of proliferation and spread of legionella in facilities", which cancels and replaces the previously mentioned and that it is currently being reviewed due to the changes  RD 865/2003 "Hygienic health criteria for the prevention and control of legionellosis". Basically, the new technical regulation updates and expands the contents of the previous one, including a chapter of terms and definitions, actions in case of outbreak, based on those included in the RD 909/2001, and a series of information annexes about: the recommended distances between towers of refrigeration and evaporative condensers and air intakes, windows or doors; emergency measures in the area of   prevention of occupational risks and the procedure for cleaning and disinfecting in case of using chlorine compounds in the circuits of the cooling towers and evaporative condensers.