How long should you keep YOUR legionella risk assessment records?

Every business premises in the UK has a responsibility to control the risks of legionella and Legionnaires’ disease when it comes to employees, contractors and any site visitors - in accordance with Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations.

Health and safety personnel for such businesses will be aware of Legionella and the potentially fatal form of Pneumonia that can be developed given frequent contact with contaminated water housing the legionellaceae bacteria, but not many know how to correctly monitor water systems or conduct legionella risk assessment or when regular legionnaires risk assessments are required and to store records and for how long.

We will cover all the facts, the recommendations and dispel any myths you and your business may have heard when it comes to sometimes overlooked record keeping.

If your company has five or more employees, all records must be stored and accessible. The records kept should include any groups or individual employees identified at being particularly at risk (the elderly, weak or those that suffer from respiratory conditions) and any controls put in place to prevent or control risks.

For companies with less than five employees there is no legal duty to document anything, but it may be useful to keep a written record of legionella assessment and monitoring that has taken place and when.

Records should include the following:

1. Details of the nominated personnel responsible for conducting the legionella risk assessments, managing the works and implement any written control schemes.

2. All significant findings from legionnaires risk assessments or sampling regimes

3. The monitoring process and execution

4. Details of the water system(s) and its uses

5. Whether a particular water system is in or out of use

6. All results of any monitoring, legionella water sampling or legionella risk assessments conducted with personnel names and dates.

Legionella Risk Assessment Record storing

All the records named above should be stored throughout the period they are current and for at least two years afterwards. Records of any monitoring inspections, sampling or legionella assessments should be retained for five years along with any key dates of the activity.

Further information, support and advice

If you have questions about the Legionella risk management process, the development and implementation of a written control scheme call us today and we will support you every step of the way working with your internal occupational health team or working on your behalf and undertaking all assessment works.