Legionella Risk Assessment in Scotland
At Swiftclean, we deliver comprehensive, reliable and cost-effective legionella risk assessments in Scotland that work to ensure that your property remains safe and compliant with current legislation.
Landlords, property managers and business owners in the UK are required by law to maintain Legionella compliance. This involves identifying and mitigating the risks of bacteria in the water system to prevent outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease. One essential component of this process is conducting a Legionella risk assessment.
A Legionella risk assessment is simply put, the process of determining if these circumstances are present and therefore pose health and safety risks for employees, residents and visitors. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, Legionella risk assessments aren’t just good practice – they are a legal requirement for landlords, businesses and other qualifying premises.
At Swiftclean, we deliver comprehensive, reliable and cost-effective Legionella risk assessments in Scotland that work to ensure that your property remains safe and compliant with current legislation.
Understanding Legionella and Why Risk Assessments Matter
Legionella bacteria occur naturally in freshwater environments but become dangerous when they colonise and multiply within man-made water systems. These bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a severe form of pneumonia that can be potentially fatal, especially for those who are vulnerable.
Water systems present ideal conditions for Legionella growth when they maintain temperatures between 20°C and 45°C, with 35°C being optimal. Moreover, the bacteria thrive in environments containing:
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- Sediment, sludge, scale, and biofilms that harbour the bacteria
- Stagnant water where biofilms can develop
- Nutrients and other microorganisms that provide food sources
- Inadequately disinfected water systems
Risk assessments are imperative because Legionella infection occurs primarily through inhalation of contaminated water aerosols from sources like cooling towers, hot water systems, spa pools, and air conditioning units. Consequently, any water system that creates breathable droplets presents a potential risk.
The severity of this illness cannot be understated. While the death rate generally ranges between 5-10% for those infected, it can soar to 40-80% in untreated immunocompromised patients which includes smokers, heavy drinkers, people over 45, and those with chronic respiratory conditions.
At Swiftclean, our dedicated team of experts provide professional legionella risk assessment services for businesses and premises across various sectors, types and scale. This proactive approach goes a long way to helping to protect public health, ensure regulatory compliance, and prevent potentially devastating outbreaks.
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Swiftclean commitment:
- FREE quotation/technical advice – Nationwide – call 0800 243 471
- Works carried out in accordance with the Legionella Control Association (LCA) code of conduct
- Risk Assessments and control schemes carried out to L8, BSRIA and CIBSE guidelines
- All works fully certified and legionella control log books provided
- Fully trained and directly employed staff
- Method Statements and Risk Assessments provided site specific as required
- Training for your own staff following risk assessment
Our Legionella Risk Assessment Process
Conducting a thorough Legionella risk assessment involves several critical steps that our specialists ensure are followed meticulously.
During the practical assessment process, a comprehensive site survey of the water system will be conducted. This examination should identify whether:
- Water is stored or recirculated within the system (including water tanks, dead legs, and shower heads)
- Water temperature in any part of the system falls between 20-45°C (hot water should be stored at 60°C)
- Sources of nutrients, like rust, sludge, scale, or organic matter, are present
- Conditions exist that encourage bacteria multiplication
- Water droplets can be produced and dispersed (e.g., through showers)
- Parts of the system are used infrequently (such as guest bathrooms)
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According to HSE guidelines, the risk assessment must be reviewed regularly. Most properties should have their assessments reviewed at least once per year. Furthermore, reviews must occur whenever there’s reason to suspect the assessment is no longer valid – such as changes to the water system, alterations in building use, or when new information about risks becomes available.
Subsequently, if your assessment concludes there is no reasonably foreseeable risk – or that risks are insignificant and properly managed – the assessment is complete. Nevertheless, existing controls must be maintained and documented, especially for landlords with five or more employees, where recording findings becomes a statutory duty.
The ultimate goal of this process is to develop and implement a robust control plan that ensures full compliance with health and safety regulations while protecting occupants from potential harm.
Proactive Legionella Control
Maintaining ongoing Legionella compliance requires more than just initial assessments – it demands a forward-thinking approach to water safety management, which is where the experts at Swiftclean are here to help.
Our services provide everything you need for legionella control and compliance, from risk assessments, water testing, tank cleaning and remedial work to system monitoring and legionella management and control consultancy.
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Rather than viewing compliance as a one-time requirement, organisations should establish a cycle of periodic reviews. Scottish health guidance recommends that risk assessments be regularly updated to account for system changes or new information. Initially, this might seem burdensome, yet it’s far less costly than managing an outbreak.
Technological advancements are now reshaping traditional approaches to legionella management, with remote temperature monitoring systems offering significant improvements over manual checks by providing:
- 24/7 flow and temperature data collection
- Targeted intervention for specific taps and systems
- Substantial reduction in water wastage (estimated at up to 8% of non-household water consumption)
Record-keeping remains fundamental to demonstrating compliance, and comprehensive documentation should include:
- Site-specific risk assessments
- Schematic drawings of water systems
- Scheduled maintenance visits
- Monitoring results and sampling data
Although some might view these assessments as merely bureaucratic exercises, they actually represent a vital safeguard against potentially fatal outbreaks that can devastate the lives of everyone involved.
Legionella Risk Assessments for Your Property
At the heart of effective Legionella management lies a commitment to ongoing vigilance. Rather than treating compliance as a one-time checkbox, Scottish property owners should establish systematic approaches that include comprehensive Legionella risk assessments, regular reviews, staff training, and meticulous record-keeping.
If you would like to find out more about how our Scotland Legionella risk assessment can help you, then please get in touch, and one of our friendly experts will be happy to help answer any questions you may have.
Our Scottish team
We are well placed to provide expert Legionella risk assessments across the whole of Scotland using locally based teams. We’re also registered with Public Contracts Scotland.
Swiftclean has been working in Scotland for over 30 years, helping Housing Associations, Councils, Hotels, Restaurants, Schools, Facilities Management companies, and M&E contractors stay compliant with their water hygiene and Legionella control responsibilities.
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What is a Legionella Risk Assesment?
A Legionella risk assessment is a tool used to identify the risk factors in a facility and determine interventions to help control the risks of Legionnaires’ disease.
Legionella assessment helps to evaluate and mitigate the risks and is also a legal requirement for employers; this includes the owners and operators of commercial buildings including social housing, facilities management, healthcare, hotels and many others. Owners and operators have a statutory duty to control the risk of legionella bacteria in water systems.
If the assessment suggests that remedial action is required, Swiftclean are able to undertake these tasks to help remove / reduce the risk of Legionella proliferation and exposure.
What is Legionella and What Causes It?
Legionnaires disease is a severe form of pneumonia – a lung inflammation caused by infection. The disease is normally contracted by inhalation, either in tiny droplets of water (aerosols), or in droplet nuclei (the particles left after the water has evaporated) contaminated with Legionella bacteria, direct into the lungs.
Legionella bacteria is widespread within natural water sources such as river, lakes and reservoirs. The bacteria may also be found in purpose-built water systems such as cooling towers, hot and cold water systems and spa pools. People can contract the illness by inhaling small droplets of water in the air containing the bacteria.
Outbreaks of Legionnaires disease often occur from exposure to the Legionella bacteria growing in purpose-built water systems where poor water condition allows for the proliferation of the legionella bacteria to dangerous levels. The disease cannot be spread from person to person – only by contaminated water being inhaled.
Legionella UK Specialists
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations, owners and operators of all commercial premises (including: Social Housing, Facilities Management, Hotels & Stadiums, Healthcare, Education and many others) have a statutory duty to control the risk of legionella bacteria in water systems. This includes: identifying and assessing the sources of risk, preparing a scheme for preventing or controlling the risk, appointing a person to be managerially responsible, implementing and managing precautions and keeping records of the precautions implemented.
Swiftclean can conduct a Legionella Risk Assessment, which will identify the level of risk within your property.
Is It A Legal Requirement to Have A Legionella Risk Assessment?
There is a legal duty in place to assess and control the risk of exposure to Legionella bacteria, especially for commercial businesses, including hotels, spas, schools and social housing.
This assessment should be considered a ‘living document’ and reviewed regularly and/or whenever there is reason to believe that the original assessment may no longer be valid. This may be because of:
- changes to the water system or its use;
- changes to the use of the building in which the system is installed;
- the availability of new information about risks or control measures;
- the results of checks indicate that control measures are no longer effective.
- changes to key personnel
- a case of legionnaires disease associated with the system
Legionella Risk Assessment for Landlords
Landlords are under a duty to ensure that the risk of exposure to tenants, residents and visitors to Legionella is properly assessed and controlled. Health and safety legislation requires Landlords to carry out risk assessments and maintain control measures to minimise the risk.
Property managers or individuals responsible for the control of Legionella bacteria should ensure a safe and disease-free environment. The law is clear that if you are a landlord and rent out your property (or even a room within your own home) then you have legal responsibilities to ensure that the property is kept safe from health hazards. The requirement stems from the COSHH Regulations, which require the control of substances hazardous to health, bacteria being included; Section 3(2) of the Health and Safety Work Act 1974 to make provisions for the legislation to apply to landlords of both business and domestic premises.
Landlord Risk Assessment Details
A Landlord’s risk assessment provided by Swiftclean will include the following details:
- Potential sources of risk
- Any controls in place to control risks
- Procedures for monitoring, inspecting and maintaining
- Records of the monitored results, inspections and checks carried out
- Arrangements to review the risk assessment regularly
Why Choose Swiftclean?
If you manage a water system within a building and you require a risk assessment with control measures in place – Swiftclean are here to help.
We are known for being hassle-free, reliable and competitively priced. With a Legionella risk assessment from Swiftclean, you can help to prevent the deadly disease and rest easy knowing that professional measures are in place to help keep your business safe.
Our team of engineers will carry out comprehensive Legionella testing, tailor an action plan to your business and provide a written review to ensure that your business is compliant to the industry standards.
Whatever your needs, get in touch with Swiftclean today. We’re here to provide advice and cost-effective Legionella risk assessments and management to companies of all sizes in the UK.
What is Legionnaires’ disease?
Legionnaires’ disease can be a potentially fatal disease, caused by the inhalation of small droplets of contaminated water containing the bacterium Legionella pneumophila and related bacteria. Man-made hot and cold water systems are likely, if conditions deteriorate, to provide an environment where Legionella can grow, so it’s important to ensure your water systems are safe and not at risk of developing this fatal bacteria.
How much does a risk assessment cost?
The price of a risk assessment will differ depending on the size of the premises, how many water systems there are and whether it’s for domestic or commercial use. Contact us today for your FREE, no obligation quote.
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Please call us or email info@swiftclean.co.uk for further advice and a free quote.
