Legionella Risk Assessments
A Legionella risk assessment is a legal requirement in the UK to ensure water systems are safe and do not pose a risk of Legionnaires’ disease. It involves a structured evaluation of your property’s water systems to identify potential hazards, assess risks, and implement control measures.
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🦠 What is Legionella?
• Legionella bacteria can grow in water systems, especially in stagnant water between 20–45 °C.
• Inhaling contaminated droplets (e.g., from taps, showers, or cooling towers) can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a serious type of pneumonia co.uk +1.
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📋 What is a Legionella Risk Assessment?
A Legionella risk assessment is a systematic review of your water systems to:
• Identify risks where Legionella could grow and spread.
• Evaluate system design and usage (pipework, tanks, outlets, boilers, etc.).
• Recommend control measures to reduce or eliminate risks uRisk +1.
It ensures compliance with UK law under the Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH, and the Approved Code of Practice (ACoP L8). Dutyholders (landlords, employers, building owners) must ensure a “suitable and sufficient” assessment is completed co.uk +1.
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🛠️ What Does the Assessment Involve?
A typical assessment includes:
• Survey of the water system – mapping tanks, pipework, outlets, and boilers.
• Temperature checks – profiling hot and cold water to ensure safe ranges.
• Condition review – checking for stagnation, scale, corrosion, or dead legs.
• Management review – ensuring responsibilities and maintenance records are clear.
• Action plan – outlining control measures, monitoring, and remedial works uRisk.
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⚖️ Legal Duties
• Dutyholders must appoint a competent person (trained and experienced) to carry out or oversee the assessment HSE.
• The assessment must be reviewed regularly (typically every 2 years or sooner if systems change).
• Records of findings and actions must be kept as part of a written scheme of control co.uk.
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✅ Why It Matters
• Protects tenants, staff, and visitors from serious illness.
• Demonstrates compliance with HSE guidance (HSG 274) and ACoP L8.
• Provides peace of mind that your property’s water systems are safe and well managed uRisk.
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Legionella Risk Assessment
A Legionella risk assessment is a legal requirement for landlords, employers, and property managers. It involves a thorough survey of your water systems to identify potential risks where Legionella bacteria could grow, such as in tanks, pipework, and outlets. The assessment checks temperatures, system condition, and management practices, and provides an action plan to keep occupants safe. Regular reviews ensure ongoing compliance with UK Health & Safety law and HSE guidance (ACoP L8 & HSG 274).
