Meet the WMSoc Tutors

Dr Paul McDermott

Paul has an Honours degree and PhD in microbiology and spent the first 11 years of his career in microbiology research and as a university lecturer. Paul previously worked as a Specialist Inspector in the Health and Safety Executive's Biological Agents Unit. In his role as a regulator, much of Paul’s time was spent working in the field of occupational Legionella risk control.

Paul was an active member of HSE's Legionella Committee and its Legionella Technical Working Group and has facilitated the development and delivery of past and current HSE intervention strategies for the control of Legionella risks in workplaces.

Paul has acted as expert witness in a number of Legionella enforcement cases and has contributed to the production of numerous Legionella-related guidance documents. These guidance documents have included:

• BS 8580:2010 - Water quality. Risk assessments for Legionella control. Code of practice
• CIBSE's TM13 - Minimising the Risk of Legionnaires' disease
• The HSE’s revised Approved Code of Practice, L8 (4th edition) - Legionnaires' disease: the control of legionella bacteria in water systems
• The HSE's revised guidance document, HSG274 – Legionnaires' disease: technical guidance

Paul is also a Technical Assessor for the United Kingdom Accreditation Service, conducting assessments of companies seeking UKAS accreditation for Legionella risk assessment services.  He is a member of the Water Management Society and Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health.

Since setting up his own biorisk consultancy in July 2014, Paul has undertaken a variety of work including the role of (Water Safety) Authorising Engineer at one NHS Trust and is currently providing advice and training services at a number of others, as well supporting water risk management arrangements in a number of large academic institutions.

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