If you control premises with a water system, the law expects you to assess and control legionella. Here's the plain-English version.
The bacteria are invisible and the systems look harmless: a hot and cold water supply, a cooling tower, a spa pool, a humidifier. But legionella thrives in water held at the wrong temperature, and when it's released as a fine spray that people breathe in, it causes Legionnaires' disease. This page explains the duty, what a legionella risk assessment covers, and how Spectra helps you meet it.
A statutory duty that quietly slips through the gaps. We make sure yours doesn't.
Four duties on the responsible person, set out in law.
The duty sits in the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH). How to comply is set out in the HSE's Approved Code of Practice and guidance, L8, supported by the technical guidance in HSG274. The responsible person, usually the employer, the building owner, or whoever controls the premises, must:
Assess the risk of legionella from the water systems on the premises. A suitable assessment looks at your specific systems, not a generic checklist.
Manage the risk, including appointing a competent person to take day-to-day responsibility for control.
Control the risk with a written scheme of measures, and keep it implemented. The assessment drives what to do, who does it, and how often.
Keep records of the assessment, the scheme, and the monitoring carried out, so there's an audit trail when someone asks.
What a legionella risk assessment looks at.
A suitable assessment looks at your specific water systems and identifies where conditions could let legionella grow and spread. It typically considers:
Hot and cold water services, cooling towers, evaporative condensers, spa pools, and other systems that create a spray or hold water.
Water stored or circulated between roughly 20 and 45 degrees Celsius, stagnation in little-used outlets ("dead legs"), and scale, rust and biofilm that feed the bacteria.
Anywhere water is released as an aerosol, like showers, taps, sprays and cooling towers.
Everyone exposed, with particular regard to those more vulnerable, such as older people and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Temperature control, regular flushing of infrequently used outlets, removal of dead legs, cleaning and disinfection, and a monitoring regime.
The written control scheme has to be reviewed, especially when the system, the building or its use changes.
A statutory duty that quietly slips through the gaps, made someone else's job to track.
Legionella control is one of those statutory duties that quietly slips through the gaps, particularly across multiple sites or managed buildings where nobody owns it. We help you meet it without it becoming your problem to track. Your named consultant makes sure the risk assessment is done and kept current, that you've appointed a competent person and a written scheme of control, and that the monitoring is actually happening and recorded.
Tell us about your sites and get a straight answer.
Not sure whether your premises are covered, or whether your current assessment is up to scratch? You get one named, qualified consultant who learns your sites and the way you actually work, so when you ring, they already know your business.
“I work with businesses to provide practical, hands-on health and safety advice. It's important that you have the right systems and procedures in place, but they need to be written for your business and not just be generic. We provide a very hands-on approach with one nominated consultant as your point of contact — no call centres.”
Book a free reviewCommon legionella risk assessment questions
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What's the difference between legionella and Legionnaires' disease?
The twelve hazards found in almost every workplace, with HSE 5×5 scoring built in. Free 30-minute review of your completed assessment.
Not sure whether your premises are covered, or whether your assessment is up to scratch?
Tell us about your sites and a named consultant will give you a straight answer. No script and no obligation. You'll get a clear read on what the duty asks of you, what's in place, and what to do first.