Legionella risk assessments FAQs

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Who can carry out Legionella Risk Assessments?

​Anyone can carry out a Legionella risk assessment.  A knowledge of water systems and how to highlight the risks related to Legionella bacteria is vital. Unless you, or someone else, know how to identify the risks, then a free online template is useless. Legionella compliance requires someone who can prove they have the necessary experience. That's why most people decide to outsource their Legionella risk assessments. It saves time. A lot of time. 

 

How much does a Legionella risk assessment cost?

Our Legionella risk assessments start from £185. The price of your legionella risk assessment will depend on the size and complexity of your water system. Contact us for a free quote. 

 

How quickly can I get a Legionella risk assessment?

To get a Legionella risk assessment report, your water system(s) need to be assessed. How long your Legionella risk assessment takes depends on the size and complexity of your water system(s). A simple system can be assessed in a few hours. A large and complicated site may take a couple of days.  

 

Once your site visit is complete, you’ll receive your report and other information no more than three days later.

 

Need a Legionella risk assessment urgently? Speak to us and we’ll see what we can do.

 

Do I need to prepare for Legionella risk assessments?

If it's your first Legionella risk assessment, then you just need to know your site and water system. If you've had previous risk assessments, logbooks or other records will need to be ready to share with your assessor. 

 

How often do I need to update my Legionella risk assessments?

If nothing changes in your water system, Legionella risk assessments only need to be completed every two years. Legionella risk assessments will only need to be updated more frequently if:

• You have an outbreak related to waterborne bacteria

• Ongoing sampling levels are above safe levels

• There is a significant change to your water system

 

What’s the difference between water risk assessments, Legionnaires risk assessments and Legionella risk assessments?

It can be confusing but all of these risk assessments are the same thing. The official name is a Legionella risk assessment. This refers to the process of assessing risk from Legionella and other waterborne bacteria.  

 

Who can be the ‘responsible person’ and Legionella compliance?

As an employer, or person in control of premises, you must appoint someone competent to manage your Legionella compliance - the 'responsible person'. This includes controlling any identified risk from exposure to legionella bacteria. The responsible person must have sufficient experience, authority, competence, necessary skills and knowledge of the system. The appointed responsible person could be:

• yourself

• one or more workers

• someone from outside your business

 

Sometimes more than one person from within the organisation shares responsibility with someone from outside. This is common in businesses where there are shift workers. In this instance, everyone needs to understand their role in managing legionella risks. 

 

What needs to be included in Legionella risk assessments?

Legionella risk assessments should include:

• management responsibilities, 

• the name of the competent person and a description of your system, 

• details of the competence and training of key personnel,

• any identified potential risk sources, 

• details of controls in place to minimise risks, 

• monitoring, inspection and maintenance procedures, 

• records of the monitoring results and inspection and checks carried out, 

• arrangements to review the risk assessment regularly. 

 

If risks are identified and action is needed, this should be outlined during the risk assessment process.

 

What do I do if there's an unavoidable risk in my water system?

If you identify a risk that you are unable to prevent, you must introduce a course of action. This is sometimes called a written control scheme and describes: 

• your system, eg develop a schematic diagram,

• who is responsible for carrying out the assessment and managing implementation, 

• the safe and correct operation of your system,

• what control methods and other precautions are in place, 

• what checks will be carried out, 

• how often checks will they be carried out,

• measurement of the effectiveness of control measures. 

 

Precautions might include:

• Control of water spray, 

• temperature control, 

• system upgrades, 

• maintenance details,

• record keeping.

 

Do I need to be there when Legionella risk assessments are carried out?

The responsible person, or a delegated person, needs to be there for the site visit. A delegated person can be anyone who has knowledge of the water system and access to previous records and risk assessments. 

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Which areas do you cover?