As a landlord in the UK, you’re legally obliged to ensure that your property complies with health and safety laws, making a Legionella risk assessment a necessity. Carrying out this risk assessment ensures that you’re adhering to the Health and Safety at Work Act, Control Of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH), and ACOP L8 guidelines, fulfilling your legal responsibilities.
All landlords, regardless of what type of properties they own, must adopt an approach to health and safety compliance that is “practical and proportionate”. This involves assessing properties for
potential health hazards that could pose harm to occupants or visitors. Legionella bacteria is known to cause Legionnaires’ disease, making it a major water safety concern for landlords. Effective management is required in order to control associated risks.
Will a basic risk assessment be enough?
Although a basic risk assessment may be sufficient for simple domestic properties, larger or more complex water systems usually require more comprehensive evaluations. The UK Health and Safety Executive instructs landlords to tailor assessments to ensure they reflect the complexity of each water system. Even in low-risk environments, landlords are legally obliged to carry out a legionella risk assessment for the properties they rent out.
In domestic houses, Legionella risks are generally minimal when they’re regularly occupied. A few simple measures, including regular flushing of the water system, can be enough to manage these risks. However, if a property is vacant for a long period, standing water in pipework can pose a significant risk, ensuring that specific preventative measures need to be taken and a more thorough risk assessment carried out.
Do I need a formal written report?
Although formal written reports are not obligatory, maintaining a record of all Legionella risk assessments and the measures that you have implemented is advisable. This documentation serves as a crucial reference if you are ever asked to produce records. Whilst it’s not mandatory to have a formal written report written up, keeping documented records demonstrates your commitment to ensuring water safety as your commitment to maintaining a comprehensive and compliant approach to legionella risk management in your rental property.
Who can carry out a Legionella risk assessment?
A Legionella risk assessment can be carried out by competent individuals who have sufficient knowledge and training in assessing the risk of Legionella bacteria growth and spread. Swiftclean is a leading provider of Legionella risk assessments, with the team helping many landlords and businesses to comply with the necessary Legionella control regulations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
To find out more about how Swiftclean can help you with Legionella compliance, call 0800 243 471, send an email to info@swiftclean.co.uk, or complete the form on the site.
