Newry business launches IoT tech for monitoring legionella

12 Oct 2020

Image: Bluezone Technologies

Bluezone Technologies has developed an IoT system that monitors water supply to alert building managers to the presence of legionella.

Newry-based software company Bluezone Technologies has announced the launch of its latest platform, which facilitates round-the-clock monitoring of legionella and waterborne bacteria.

With an investment of just under €750,000, the company has developed a legionella management system that monitors temperature and movement of water within a building’s systems and reports results through the company’s IoT platform Bluezone24.

Bluezone Technologies is a specialist software company that develops products for the management of compliance, supply chain, health and safety and more. The new technology was developed at its innovation hub in Newry, incorporating sensor technology to remotely monitor water temperatures and provide real-time intelligent analysis to the devices of those responsible for the health and wellbeing of a building’s occupants.

Bluezone’s chief executive, Adrian Byrne, said: “Property and facilities managers can clearly see out-of-range temperatures and can plan any remedial work they may need to carry out.”

Legionella control

The company said that its legionella management module utilises new IoT sensor technology to remotely monitor environmental factors such as humidity, carbon dioxide and asset tracking.

Pat McDonald, technical director at Bluezone Technologies, added: “Legionella control and monitoring is still largely focused on paper-based procedures, however the appetite for an easy-to-install sensor alongside a user-friendly platform with quick reporting dashboards was clear.”

McDonald said that the technology can be fitted into new builds or retrofitted with minimal intrusion and without any required access to a building’s IT data networks.

The launch of this system comes after the HSE’s Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) recently raised concerns about legionnaires’ disease, which is caused by the growth of legionella bacteria in inadequately managed water systems. The HPSC warned that the closure or restricted use of building during Covid-19 could increase the risk of legionella growth in water systems if these systems have not been managed adequately.

Kelly Earley was a journalist with Silicon Republic

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