Legionella risk assessment template: a copyable GB form

A useful legionella risk assessment records the actual water system, who may be exposed to water droplets, where growth and exposure could occur, what controls are already in place, and what action is needed. Copy and complete the form below for a Great Britain property or workplace after a competent inspection. It can be short for a simple domestic system or expanded for a complex shared system. A blank form is not evidence that a water system is safe, and ticking “low risk” without inspecting the system is not an assessment.

This page provides the fillable record. The companion landlord guide explains domestic rental decisions; link it only when its route has passed integration. For technical design and control schemes, use current HSE L8 and HSG274 Part 2 with competent water-safety advice. The Complys legionella compliance page is a commercial destination to review after product implementation is verified.

Before starting the form

Define the property and the system boundaries. A single flat with a combi boiler and a regularly used shower is a different assessment from a block with central hot-water storage, multiple branches and communal areas. HSE says domestic landlords must assess and control exposure, but many small domestic systems can be assessed proportionately without an in-depth report. The law does not demand a “legionella test certificate”, annual reassessment or routine water sampling for every domestic property. Larger, complex or high-risk systems can need a specialist survey, written control scheme and monitoring.

Record the assessor's competence and limitations. If a tank, plant room or remote outlet cannot be accessed, state that; do not mark it “satisfactory”. An agent or contractor may gather information, but the dutyholder needs to know who controls the system and who will implement actions. HSE's management guidance calls for competent management of identified risk.

Copyable assessment form

Replace each bracket with a fact or decision. Add system diagrams, photos or measurement sheets where useful. Remove equipment rows that do not exist on site and add others that do.

A. Premises, responsibility and scope

Where a managing agent is involved, record what its contract actually covers. HSG274 Part 2 says the contract should clearly specify legionella maintenance and safety responsibilities. A form that names an agent but gives nobody authority to repair a defective heater has not solved the management problem.

B. Water-system inventory and simple schematic

Attach a sketch showing supply, storage, heat, distribution, return and representative outlets. Mark what is observed and what is inferred. Do not call an unseen branch “absent” because it is not on an old plan. A specialist may be needed to survey concealed or complex pipework.

C. Risk-factor assessment

HSE's risk page explains that growth and exposure depend on water temperature, stored or recirculated water, nutrients and breathable droplets. Avoid a single numerical “risk score” that conceals a significant uncontrolled outlet. Explain why each finding matters in this specific system. Temperature readings, where needed, should be taken by a competent person using a suitable method at relevant points. The form does not supply a universal set point because the system and scald controls differ.

D. Existing controls and evidence

For most domestic hot and cold water systems, HSE highlights keeping hot water hot, cold water cold and water moving, plus attention to vacancy and showerheads. The actual schedule should come from this property's risk assessment. A copied “flush all outlets weekly” line may be unsuitable if nobody has lawful access, if the system is more complex, or if the action creates a scald or aerosol exposure risk without an appropriate method. Describe what can actually be done and who will do it.

E. Findings and action plan

Use an action register even when the overall conclusion is low risk if there are small defects to fix. If the assessment identifies an uncontrolled risk, record the immediate restriction or alternative control and seek competent specialist advice. Do not mark the action closed when a contractor is merely booked. Attach completion evidence and reassess the residual risk.

F. Overall decision and review trigger

Do not infer that sampling is required simply because the assessment exists. HSE says sampling is not usually necessary for domestic hot and cold water systems and that the law does not prescribe an annual or biennial domestic-landlord review. More complex premises or adverse findings need a case-specific decision. Sign-off should show that the dutyholder understands residual work and has assigned it, not certify that bacteria are absent.

How to adapt the form to different buildings

Small continuously occupied rental home. The assessor may find direct mains cold supply, an instantaneous heater, regularly used taps and shower, no storage and no long unused branches. They should still note what they inspected, discuss showerhead care and defect reporting, and set a review trigger. A proportionate record may be short. The conclusion “low” must be tied to these facts and can change if the property becomes vacant.

Student house vacant during summer. The assessment should record which outlets stagnate, who has access, what suitable flow or draining measure will be used and what happens before tenants return. HSE specifically flags extended vacancy and suggests a suitable flushing regime or other measure. Name the person responsible and retain evidence rather than assuming the first occupant will manage it.

Multi-unit building with stored/central hot water. The inventory needs tank, distribution and outlet detail, maintenance history, temperature-control evidence and clear ownership of communal versus in-flat components. HSG274 may call for a more formal control scheme and specialist competence. Do not reuse the short flat conclusion, even if some outlets are in domestic accommodation.

Water-system fault. A tenant says the hot water is lukewarm and a shower has been unused for weeks. Record the report, investigate the system, decide interim safeguards and competent repair, then reassess. The correct process is not to change a tick box to “annual assessment complete” while the cause remains open.

Record quality and limitations

A useful record is legible and versioned. Keep the current system description, significant findings, action owners, evidence of controls and the change history together. HSE's general record guidance gives record requirements for employers with five or more employees and retention expectations for formal control/monitoring records; domestic landlords should not assume every workplace record provision applies identically to a one-property letting. Use the rule applicable to the dutyholder and a sensible retention policy. A landlord may keep a concise assessment even where no written record is specifically mandated because it helps demonstrate the decision and follow-up.

The form has limits. It does not tell a non-specialist how to sample water, disinfect a system, select a biocide or set a universal temperature. It does not account for every cooling tower, spa pool, healthcare installation or industrial process; these need a specialist method and relevant technical guidance. Where a suspected illness or serious control failure occurs, follow competent incident and public-health advice rather than waiting for the next routine review.

For a portfolio workflow, review the Complys legionella compliance page and verify the current implementation before using any advertised document, reminder or monitoring function. Software may hold records and assigned actions; it cannot inspect a tank, take a valid temperature reading or approve a water-safety design. Complete this assessment with competent people, then carry out and verify the actions.

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Terminal writer-side disposition: READY.