KNOWLEDGE HUB
Our staff are qualified and experienced. This means you can count on getting the right advice and can rest easily knowing you're compliant. We specialise in interpretation of legionella risk assessment and guidance surrounding legionella control such as ACoP L8. We also provide insightful blogs as well as offering frequently asked questions and providing FREE Legionella Risk Assessment Audit downloads.
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New to Understanding Water Compliance?
Below we cover:
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The Basics
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Who Is Responsible?
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Which Premises Are Covered?
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Keeping It Up to Date
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The Law and the Penalties
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Costs and Practicalities
What is a legionella risk assessment?
A legionella risk assessment is a survey that ends in a verdict. An assessor follows every route water takes through your premises, from mains to tap, and judges where bacteria could multiply and who might breathe in the spray. You receive a written report ranking each risk and saying what to fix first.
Who needs a legionella risk assessment?
If you control a building where water is stored, heated or sprayed, the duty is yours. That includes employers, landlords, managing agents and self-employed people working from premises. Hiring a contractor or letting agent hands over the tasks, not the legal responsibility.
Who can carry out a legionella risk assessment?
The law sets a standard, not a qualification: the assessor must know enough to judge your particular systems. A single flat and a hospital demand very different skills. Trained staff can assess simple systems, but for anything complex, ask for evidence of comparable sites they have assessed.
How often should a legionella risk assessment be reviewed?
A legionella risk assessment has no legal expiry date. Treat it as valid until something makes it wrong: altered pipework, a change of use, new vulnerable occupants, failed temperature checks or a positive sample. Many duty holders also set a calendar check, every two years, sooner for higher-risk sites
What does a competent person need to know?
Competence means being able to explain why a system is risky, not just spot that it is. The assessor should understand where legionella thrives (warm, stagnant, nutrient-rich water, roughly 20–45°C), read a plumbing layout, know HSE's L8 and HSG274, and recognise when a system is beyond them and call in a specialist.
What should a legionella risk assessment contain?
A useful report answers five questions. What water systems are here? What could go wrong in each? Who is exposed? What must be done, in what order, and by whom? When will it be checked again? Expect a schematic, photographs, temperature readings, risk ratings, and dated actions with named owners.
What buildings require a legionella risk assessment?
The test isn't the type of building. It's whether water can form a breathable mist and someone could be exposed to it. Showers, taps, cooling towers, spa pools and fountains all qualify, so offices, flats, schools, hotels and factories are all covered. Empty buildings count while their plumbing stays connected, and cooling towers must also be notified to the local authority
What happens if you don't have a legionella risk assessment?
Skipping the assessment is an offence before anyone falls ill. HSE inspectors can order you to put it right, stop use of a system, or prosecute, with unlimited fines and possible imprisonment for individuals. If someone is harmed, expect civil claims and, in the worst cases, a manslaughter investigation.
How much does a legionella risk assessment cost?
Our assessments Range from at £180 to £1000+. The price depends on the number of outlets, storage tanks, plant and travel, not floor area alone. Most quotes include the survey, report and action plan, so check whether schematics or follow-up visits cost extra. We aim to look at each individual circumstance and provide the most cost effective quote.
Absolute Water Compliance also offers New customer and Multi site discount, get in contact today to discuss further
Can a legionella risk assessment be done remotely?
To put it simply, No. For a proper Survey and full inspection of systems pipework etc. Need to be physically there. The use of a calibration equipment is also required
What legislation applies to legionella?
Legionella has no dedicated statute. The duty comes from general law: the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, and COSHH 2002, which treats the bacteria as a hazardous biological agent. HSE's L8 code and HSG274 guidance show how to comply, and cooling towers carry an extra notification duty under 1992 regulations.
What is the difference between a risk assessment and a written scheme?
The risk assessment is a map of hazards. The written scheme is the timetable of tasks that keeps those hazards under control: who checks which outlet, how often, what reading is acceptable, and what happens if it isn't. If the assessment is revised, the scheme should be revisited too.
