Legionella risk assessments – What are they, and why does your business need one?

Any business owner who has their eye on the ball when it comes to health and safety will know, running a business means carrying out a wide range of risk assessments. This becomes increasingly true if you operate premises in which employees and customers spend prolonged periods of time, whether that’s a cafe, a hotel, or an office.

One of the many important assessments you’ll need to carry out is a Legionella risk assessment. Designed to play an important role in your overall approach to water safety, they’re not something to overlook – here’s what they are and why your business needs one.

What is a Legionella risk assessment?

Legionella risk assessments are in-depth assessments that cover the wide range of risks associated with the bacteria Legionella pneumophila. As they’re reasonably complex and necessitate access to some complex testing equipment and knowledge, the assessments need to be carried out by specialist third-party providers.

Record review

The first step in a Legionella risk assessment is to review any existing records held by the business that cover Legionella prevention. The risk assessor will be able to look over prior recommendations and reports, and see if the business being assessed is currently operating in accordance with those recommendations.

Hazard identification

Next, the assessor will go around the workplace, noting down any environmental hazards. Hazards in this assessment are generally considered environments in which the Legionella bacteria can multiply to dangerous concentrations – in particular, stagnant water that’s kept between 20 and 50 degrees centigrade.

Report and recommendations

Based on the findings of the review and workplace assessment, the assessor will compile a report with a series of recommendations. To ensure compliance with the relevant regulations, the business in question will likely need to implement those suggestions diligently. 

That risk assessment will then need reviewing in the future, to make sure that the measures put in place were effective at managing the hazards.

Why does your business need one?

There are two main reasons why your business – regulatory compliance and reputation control.

Regulatory compliance

First, all businesses have a legal duty to take active measures to prevent Legionnaires’ disease. One of the core elements of that duty lies in having risk assessments and risk assessment reviews carried out at appropriate intervals. Failure to comply with these regulations can result in legal repercussions, even if an outbreak doesn’t actually occur.

Reputation control

Besides the regulatory concerns, if an outbreak occurs in your business, your brand will likely suffer irreparable damage. Both customers and employees will struggle to trust an organisation that can’t even handle the prevention of a water-born disease – the implications will often be existential in nature.

Legionella risk assessments aren’t overly complex – all you need to do is identify a qualified, experienced provider. Based on their recommendations, you will likely need to make some adjustments to your water hygiene approach in the long run. Failure to carry out these assessments or make the necessary adjustments can result in legal prosecution at best, and an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at worst.