Basic Legionella Management
Course Overview
The Health and Safety Executive's ACOP L8 was crafted to serve as a comprehensive resource for dutyholders, offering guidance on how to adhere to their legal obligations. This Legionella Awareness Training Course is structured around the principles of ACOP L8 and will delve deeper into each duty in the various course modules.
Course Content
Yes, in practice. The duty to control Legionella risk comes from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH), and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999. ACOP L8, published by the HSE, sets out what compliance with these duties looks like in practice for Legionella specifically. ACOP L8 is not law itself, but it carries quasi-legal status: if an organisation is prosecuted following a Legionella incident and hasn't followed ACOP L8, it must prove it achieved an equivalent standard of control by other means.
Legionella is a type of bacteria that can grow in water systems, particularly where water is stored or recirculated at temperatures between roughly 20°C and 45°C, or where water is allowed to stagnate. If contaminated water is dispersed as a fine spray or aerosol, inhaling the droplets can cause Legionnaires' disease, a serious and potentially fatal form of pneumonia.
ACOP L8 identifies the legal duty holder as the employer, or whoever is in control of the premises, such as a landlord or managing agent responsible for a building's water systems. The duty holder carries ultimate responsibility, but ACOP L8 expects them to appoint a competent Responsible Person to take day-to-day charge of managing Legionella risk.
Under ACOP L8, the duty holder must ensure a Legionella risk assessment is carried out by a competent person, involving:
- Identifying and assessing sources of Legionella risk within the site's water systems
- Preparing a written scheme setting out how the risk will be prevented or controlled
- Implementing, managing and monitoring the control measures in that scheme
- Keeping records of assessments, monitoring and any corrective action taken
- Appointing a competent Responsible Person to oversee the above on an ongoing basis
The Basic Legionella Management course covers: Introduction to Legionella, Legislation (the legal framework behind Legionella control, including ACOP L8), Control processes (practical measures used to prevent Legionella growth), Signs and symptoms of Legionnaires' disease, and further Resources for ongoing compliance.
Course Duration
1-2 Hours
Course Certification
Successful candidates will receive a certificate, valid for 3 years.
