Commercial Legionella Risk Assessment

Firstly, to bust a myth… A Commercial Legionella Risk Assessment is not the same as a Legionella Test. Many people are misled and believe they need to have a very expensive Legionella Test carried-out, when all they require to legally comply is a Legionella Risk Assessment!

The Assessment helps Commercial Landlords and Duty Holders to mitigate any risks of their tenants, families and visitors contracting the potential life-threatening Legionnaires Disease from within their commercial rental or leased property.

The survey is carried out by a competent, fully trained member of our team, who will identify the risk of Legionnaires’ Disease being present within your commercial hot and cold-water systems.

The Assessment includes:

• An on-site property inspection
• A Commercial Risk Assessment Report
• A hot & cold-water system schematic diagram
• Recommendations to minimise Legionella risks

Our Commercial Maintenance team will be happy to quote you for carrying-out any remedial action that may be required to ensure the Legionella Risks are minimised.

Since the L8 Approved Code of Practice (3rd edition) (ACOP) was published in 2001, there has been a requirement for landlords and/or Duty Holders (e.g. Letting Agents) of both commercial and business premises to assess the risks from exposure to Legionella to their tenants.

If a tenant or a visitor to your commercial property were to contract Legionnaires Disease, the landlord or Duty Holder (or both) may be liable to prosecution under HASWA and they would have to demonstrate to a court that they have fulfilled their legal duty, so it is important that you assess, record and control the Legionella risks.

It is recommended that a Commercial Legionella Risk Assessment is carried out every two years or at the change of a tenancy, whichever is the soonest.

Legionnaires Disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water (or mist) containing Legionella bacteria.

Many people including the old and the young can be affected by Legionella especially if they suffer, for example, with a low immune system, have on-going respiratory conditions, are frail, smoke or have just been in hospital or recovering from surgery.

All man-made hot and cold-water systems within both business and commercial properties are likely to provide an environment where Legionella bacteria can grow. Conditions that are favourable for the bacteria to multiply include, the correct temperatures, stored water, rust, sludge or slime (a food source for Legionella). In short, any outlet that omits hot or cold water such as showers, taps, faucets, spa pools, hose pipes etc. are at risk of harbouring Legionella.

To produce a Commercial Legionella Risk Assessment, one of our fully qualified Legionella Risk Assessors will visit your property to carry-out the assessment. 

We will require access to the boiler, all the water outlets, water systems and storage tanks within the property. Please notify us if you have water tanks etc in the loft or other ‘hidden’ locations. Also please ensure that the Gas, Electricity and Water services are all switched on and have credit on the meters, this is especially relevant when surveying empty or void properties.

Our Commercial Legionella Risk Assessors are always diligent and courteous, whilst ensuring the correct information and data is collected, to ensure an accurate Legionella Risk Assessment is produced for your property.

Our Assessors are duty bound to take a limited number of photographs of the property to evidence their work, for audit purposes.

Once our assessor has completed the survey of your commercial property, they will upload the data into our accredited software program to generate the Commercial Legionella Risk Assessment. The report will then be issued to you, along with any recommendations to help reduce the risks of Legionella within the property.

To order a Commercial Legionella Risk Assessment in Stockton on Tees, Middlesbrough, Durham, Sunderland or Newcastle or if you would like more information, simply get in touch by giving us a call or sending us a message.