Legionella Risk Assessments
Protecting People From Legionnaires' Disease
Legionella bacteria multiply in water between 20°C and 45°C and spread through fine droplets from showers, taps and spray outlets. Legionnaires' disease is a serious, potentially fatal pneumonia, and older people and those with weakened immune systems are most at risk. A suitable and sufficient Legionella risk assessment is the foundation of keeping your building's water safe. Stravica delivers risk assessments that identify where your risks are, explain them clearly and set out exactly what needs to be done to control them.
Your Legal Duties, Made Clear
If you are an employer, landlord or person in control of premises, the law requires you to identify and control the risk from Legionella. HSE's Approved Code of Practice L8 and technical guidance HSG274 set the standard, and enforcing authorities expect you to follow them. There is no such thing as a legal "Legionella certificate". What the law requires is a proper risk assessment, a written scheme of control and evidence that it is being followed. We help you understand your responsibilities as Duty Holder and meet them with confidence.
A Thorough, Standards-Led Assessment
Every assessment is carried out by competent, accredited risk assessors working to BS 8580-1, the British Standard for Legionella risk assessment. We survey your water systems from the incoming mains to every outlet, including tank rooms, plant rooms, roof spaces and risers. We record every relevant asset, produce or update your schematic drawings, and measure temperatures at calorifiers, storage tanks and sentinel outlets. We look for the conditions in which Legionella thrives: dead legs, little-used outlets, oversized storage, heat gain, poor circulation and contaminated tanks.
Clear Reports You Can Act On
A risk assessment is only useful if you can act on it. Our reports are written in plain English for the person responsible for your water safety, not just for specialists. Each finding is risk-rated and supported by photographs and evidence from site. Recommendations are prioritised with clear timescales, from immediate actions to planned improvements. We can also prepare or update your written scheme of control, so that your monitoring programme flows directly from your assessment and you have a complete, auditable compliance record.
Built Around Who Uses Your Building
Legionella risk depends on who is exposed as well as on the water system itself. Our assessments take full account of the people using your premises, from residents in sheltered housing and care homes to pupils, patients, staff and visitors. In healthcare and augmented care settings, assessments align with HTM 04-01 and include Pseudomonas aeruginosa risk under BS 8580-2. We assess social housing, schools and universities, hospitals, care homes, local authority buildings, transport depots and commercial premises.
Significant Risks Reported The Same Day
Some findings cannot wait for a written report. If our assessor identifies a significant risk on site, such as stored hot water well below 60°C, a contaminated or uncovered storage tank, or an at-risk outlet serving vulnerable people, we tell you that day and confirm it in writing within 24 hours. That gives you time to protect people straight away, while the full assessment is being completed.
Independent, Evidence-Led Recommendations
Every recommendation we make is based on what we find on site, not on the value of follow-on work. You are free to use any competent contractor to complete remedial works. Where it helps, our assessments also identify opportunities to reduce risk and running costs together. These include removing redundant pipework and outlets that need weekly flushing, reducing oversized water storage and improving insulation. Better hygiene and lower water and energy use often go hand in hand.
Keeping Your Assessment Up To Date
A risk assessment must be reviewed regularly and whenever it may no longer be valid. Common triggers include changes to your water system or how the building is used, changes in occupants, adverse sampling results, completed remedial works, changes to your Responsible Person, or a case of Legionnaires' disease. We track review dates for every site we assess, so your assessments never quietly go out of date.
Accountable Delivery You Can Trust
Stravica is your single point of accountability. Our assessments are delivered by specialist risk assessors from Legionella Control Association member organisations, with sampling analysed by UKAS-accredited laboratories, all managed and quality-checked by Stravica. We review a sample of assessments each year to check their accuracy and that their recommendations are proportionate. You get one point of contact, consistent standards across every site and complete transparency on progress.