Legionella Awareness Training

Legionella bacteria can cause Legionnaires’ disease, a potentially fatal form of pneumonia contracted through inhaling contaminated water droplets. It’s not just a health risk — exposing individuals to Legionella is a legal offence, and businesses found negligent can face heavy fines or criminal prosecution.

Under UK health and safety law, all employers, landlords, and duty holders have a responsibility to understand the risks associated with Legionella and ensure appropriate control measures are in place.

This Legionella Awareness Course provides essential knowledge to help employees understand what Legionella is, where it can be found, and how to identify and reduce the risk of exposure in the workplace. While it does not replace advanced technical training for those in charge of water systems, it ensures that all staff are equipped to contribute to a safe and compliant working environment.

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is suitable for:

General employees and office staff
Maintenance and facilities personnel
Supervisors and health & safety representatives
Anyone who works in environments where water systems are present

Although this training is designed to raise general awareness, if you’re responsible for carrying out Legionella risk assessments, maintaining water systems, or monitoring water safety, you may need more advanced, role-specific training.

Course Objectives

By completing this course, participants will:

Understand what Legionella bacteria are and how they spread
Recognise environments and systems where Legionella thrives
Learn the basic legal duties under UK health and safety law
Know the importance of record keeping and reporting
Identify simple preventative measures to reduce risk
Be better prepared to work safely and support compliance

Course Content Overview (Videos)

Video 1: Introduction

⏱ Duration: 6 minutes 36 seconds

What is Legionella?
How it spreads and who is most at risk
Real-world consequences of exposure

Video 2: Legislation and Your Responsibilities

⏱ Duration: 4 minutes 09 seconds

Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
COSHH Regulations and HSE guidance
Employer and employee responsibilities

Video 3: Risks and Record Keeping

⏱ Duration: Duration not specified

Identifying high-risk areas and water systems
Monitoring water temperatures
Keeping accurate records and reporting requirements

Video 4: Controlling Legionella

⏱ Duration: 5 minutes 29 seconds

Preventative measures for everyday settings
Flushing systems and maintaining water hygiene
Reducing stagnation and bacterial growth

Assessment and Certification

At the end of the course, learners may complete a short quiz to check their understanding. Upon successful completion, a Legionella Awareness Certificate will be issued — suitable for personal training records and legal compliance purposes.

Benefits of This Course

Supports legal compliance with HSE reporting duties
Raises awareness of a serious health and safety risk
Encourages early detection and preventative action
Reduces the likelihood of outbreaks and legal consequences
Under 20 minutes total — ideal for broad team rollout