Understanding Legionella water hygiene responsibilities in the UK

Who is responsible for Legionella risk?

The responsibility of managing the Legionella risk sits with the employer or person in control of a premises.

Where risks have been identified, a competent person should be appointed to help manage the controls. This person can be an employee, a contractor or someone external, however it’s important to ensure that they have sufficient authority, competence, skills, knowledge and experience of the water systems.

What are the key Legionella water hygiene responsibilities?

Assess the risk

The first step that businesses should take in order to manage any Legionella risk is to carry out a risk assessment. This should cover the water systems themselves, potential sources of risk, who’s responsible for managing them and any controls already in place.

Put appropriate controls in place

Once the risks have been identified, the next step is to set out a plan on how to prevent or control them. In hot and cold water systems, temperature is an important control measure – as is preventing stagnation and keeping systems as clean as possible.

Monitor and keep records

If your business has five or more employees, you must record your findings and the steps you’ve taken to prevent the risk from spreading. Your records should include who is responsible for checks, your control plan as well as the dates and results of any checks. The records should be kept for at least five years.

Review the arrangements

The Legionella assessment should also include a plan to review the water systems and risks regularly. A professional risk assessment should take place every two years for most UK businesses.

How can businesses maintain good water hygiene practices?

Good Legionella management starts with understanding your building’s water systems and identifying where water could stagnate or create exposure risks.

Redundant pipework where water can sit should be addressed, while appropriate water temperatures need to be maintained. HSE guidance uses 60°C for hot-water storage, with hot water reaching at least 50°C at outlets within one minute, while cold water should generally be kept below 20°C.

Cleaning and descaling showerheads and other outlets can also form part of an effective control regime, depending on the system and the risks identified.

The basis for good hygiene lies in knowing your system, understanding the risks and taking steps to make sure the right controls continue to work.

At Everflow, we work hard to help businesses take control of all aspects of their water supply – from understanding usage to identifying opportunities to improve efficiency to making a business water switch.