Can I use HSE’s general risk assessment template for legionella?

You can. It is a general form for any workplace risk: who might be harmed and how, what you already do, what more is needed, who will do it and by when. It is not written for legionella, so the description of the water system and the temperature readings are yours to add.

Is there an HSE legionella risk assessment form for landlords?

No. HSE’s page for landlords comes with no form. It says most landlords can assess the risk themselves, and that a simple assessment may show no further action is needed.

What does HSE say a legionella risk assessment should include?

Who is responsible and a description of the water system; the competence of the people involved; any possible sources of risk; what controls are in place; monitoring, inspection and maintenance; records of the results; and how the assessment will be reviewed.

Is there an HSE legionella checklist?

HSE publishes CK2, a set of audit checklists from 2003. They are for the responsible person in a workplace to audit the control arrangements. They are not a risk assessment form.

How often does HSE say a legionella risk assessment must be reviewed?

For a rented home, HSE says the law does not set a yearly or two-yearly review. It should be reviewed periodically, and when anything changes in the water system.

HSE and templates

Is there an HSE legionella risk assessment template?

No. HSE publishes guidance on legionella, not a legionella form to fill in. Here is what HSE does publish, the seven things it says a legionella risk assessment should include, and what each one means for a rented home.

Written by Ken Millea, who ran a UK legionella consultancy for ten years.

What HSE publishes

Guidance, a general template, and no legionella form.

A general risk assessment template. On its page Risk assessment: Template and examples, HSE offers a template in Word and OpenDocument format. It is for any workplace risk. It records who might be harmed and how, what you already do, what more is needed, who will do it and by when. It is not written for legionella.
The page for landlords. Legionella and landlords’ responsibilities sets out the duty and what a landlord can do. It comes with no form.
The guide for everyone with a duty. Legionnaires’ disease – what you must do lists what to look for in a water system and what a risk assessment should include. That list is the nearest thing to an official template, and it is set out below.
A leaflet. INDG458, a free brief guide for dutyholders, landlords included.
Audit checklists. CK2, from 2003, for the responsible person in a workplace to audit the control arrangements. Not a risk assessment form.
The code of practice and the technical guidance. L8 and HSG274, both free to download. Part 2 of HSG274 covers hot and cold water systems. Neither is a form to fill in.

HSE’s list

Seven things HSE says a legionella risk assessment should include.

The list is HSE’s, given here in plain words. It is written for every kind of building, from a factory to a flat. Under each one is what it comes to in a rented home.

1. Who is responsible, who the competent person is, and a description of the water system. The landlord, or the agent if the management contract says so. The name of whoever did the assessment. How the water comes in, where it is stored and how it is heated.
2. The competence and training of the people involved. A line on who did the assessment and what they know. HSE says most landlords can assess the risk themselves and do not need to be professionally trained or accredited.
3. Any possible sources of risk. HSE’s own list of what to look for: water between 20 °C and 45 °C, water that is stored or recirculated, rust, sludge and scale, anything that makes spray such as a shower, and anyone in the home who is more likely to become ill.
4. What prevents or controls the risk. What is already in place. For example, a cylinder set so that hot water is stored at 60 °C, and outlets that are all in regular use.
5. Monitoring, inspection and maintenance. What will be checked and when: temperatures, shower heads, any outlet nobody uses.
6. Records of the results and the checks carried out. The readings themselves, written down with the date, not a tick.
7. How the assessment will be reviewed. A date, and what would bring it forward. HSE’s landlord page says the law sets no yearly or two-yearly interval; review it periodically and when anything changes.

HSE adds that where the assessment finds no reasonably foreseeable risk, or risks that are low and properly managed, the assessment is complete. The controls already in place have to be kept up, and the assessment looked at again in case anything changes.

The record

Does a landlord have to write it down?

HSE’s landlord page says landlords are not necessarily required to record the findings. Writing them down is a legal duty only for employers with five or more employees. It adds that a landlord may find it wise to keep a record of what has been done. A record is also what you show a letting agent, an insurer or a council that asks.

For those who do keep records, HSE’s guide says what they should hold: who is responsible, the significant findings, the written control scheme, whether the system is in use, and the results of any checks with their dates. They are kept for as long as they are current and at least two years after. Results of monitoring are kept for at least five years.

For a rented home

Which template, then?

Any form that has room for HSE’s seven things. For a house or a flat we have turned them into nine practical headings, with the temperatures to look for, on our page legionella risk assessment template for landlords. It is free: print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser.

Or let your phone ask the questions. DwellFlow is a legionella risk assessment app for rented homes. You take the readings and the photographs at the property, and AI writes the assessment, a sheet for the tenant and the written scheme of control, with the guidance behind every recommendation. Thirty minutes to an hour, depending on the size and type of the water system. Free to start, £9.99 ex VAT a property.

Questions people ask

Short answers.

Is there an HSE legionella risk assessment template? No. HSE publishes guidance on legionella, not a legionella form to fill in. Its guide lists seven things a legionella risk assessment should include, and any form that covers them will do.
Can I use HSE’s general risk assessment template for legionella? You can. It is a general form for any workplace risk: who might be harmed and how, what you already do, what more is needed, who will do it and by when. It is not written for legionella, so the description of the water system and the temperature readings are yours to add.
Is there an HSE legionella risk assessment form for landlords? No. HSE’s page for landlords comes with no form. It says most landlords can assess the risk themselves, and that a simple assessment may show no further action is needed.
What does HSE say a legionella risk assessment should include? Who is responsible and a description of the water system; the competence of the people involved; any possible sources of risk; what controls are in place; monitoring, inspection and maintenance; records of the results; and how the assessment will be reviewed.
Is there an HSE legionella checklist? HSE publishes CK2, a set of audit checklists from 2003. They are for the responsible person in a workplace to audit the control arrangements. They are not a risk assessment form.
Does a landlord have to write the legionella risk assessment down? HSE says landlords are not necessarily required to record the findings; that is a legal duty only for employers with five or more employees. It adds that a landlord may find it wise to keep a record of what has been done.
How often does HSE say a legionella risk assessment must be reviewed? For a rented home, HSE says the law does not set a yearly or two-yearly review. It should be reviewed periodically, and when anything changes in the water system.