Tank inspections, temperature monitoring and TMV servicing on an L8 cycle.
Manage water hygiene and legionella control to ACoP L8 and HSG274: risk assessments, temperature monitoring and recurring tasks.
Quick answer
Water and Legionella compliance means assessing and controlling the risk of Legionella bacteria in water systems. HSE ACoP L8 and HSG274 guidance explain how duty holders should assess risk, appoint a responsible person, run a written control scheme, monitor temperatures and keep records.
The duty usually falls on the employer, landlord or person in control of the premises or water system. They should appoint a competent responsible person to manage the control scheme day to day and make sure monitoring, cleaning, disinfection and reviews are carried out.
Review frequency depends on the system and risk assessment. Common controls include routine temperature monitoring, flushing little-used outlets, cleaning and disinfection, TMV checks and periodic risk-assessment review. HSE expects the written scheme and monitoring programme to reflect the actual water system and its risks.
Keep the Legionella risk assessment, written control scheme, responsible person appointment, temperature logs, flushing records, cleaning and disinfection certificates, TMV checks, sample results where taken, non-conformance actions and review history.
CertFlow links each water asset, outlet, TMV, tank or cooling system to its monitoring schedule and evidence. Site teams can complete checks on mobile, capture readings and photos, raise remedials, and keep a compliance register showing completed, due and overdue Legionella controls.
The duty
The Approved Code of Practice L8 and guidance HSG274 require duty holders to assess and control the risk of legionella in water systems, with monitoring, inspection and record-keeping on a defined schedule.
CertFlow turns the L8 cycle into recurring tasks, captures temperatures and flushing on mobile, and keeps the risk assessment and monitoring history in one place.
Your legal duties
Duty holders must assess the risk of legionella in their water systems and keep the assessment under review, particularly after any change to the system or the way it is used.
Where a risk is identified, a written scheme of control must be prepared and put into practice, setting out the precautions and the monitoring needed to keep the risk under control.
Temperature monitoring, inspections, flushing of little-used outlets and TMV servicing must be carried out on a defined schedule, with records kept to demonstrate control.
A competent responsible person must be appointed to manage the scheme, and everyone carrying out the work must be suitably informed, instructed and trained.
How CertFlow handles it
Water & Legionella runs on the same platform as every other discipline, so the workflow, the registry and the audit trail are identical, whatever your team inspects.
A built-in ACoP L8 report template, plus a drag-and-drop builder and bespoke PDF overlay for any client-specific form.
Put every water & legionella asset on a recurring examination cycle. CertFlow generates the jobs and warns you before anything falls due.
Readings, photos and signatures are captured in the field on mobile, fully offline, and sync the moment a connection returns.
Every water & legionella certificate is filed in a searchable, exportable compliance registry with a full timestamped history.
From the field
The defects and gaps that come up again and again on water & legionella inspections, the ones a good system helps you catch before an auditor does.
Why it matters
Failing to control legionella breaches the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH, with the approach set out in HSE’s ACoP L8. It can bring enforcement, prosecution and unlimited fines, alongside a real risk of serious or fatal illness.
Free download: the Water & Legionella duty-holder guideQuestions
That duty holders identify and assess the risk of legionella, prepare and implement a written scheme to prevent or control the risk, manage it properly, keep records and appoint a competent responsible person.
Sentinel outlet temperatures are typically checked monthly, calorifiers and storage tanks on defined cycles, and TMVs serviced at least annually, with the exact regime set by the risk assessment.
A competent person with the right training and experience, often a registered legionella risk assessor. The assessment follows BS 8580 and the HSG274 guidance.
CertFlow turns the L8 cycle into recurring tasks, captures temperatures and flushing on mobile, and keeps the risk assessment and the full monitoring history in one place.
Yes. The full monitoring history, risk assessment and remedial actions are searchable and exportable, so control can be demonstrated the moment it is asked for.
Further reading
What you must do to control legionella in water systems, set out in plain English from HSE’s ACoP L8 and HSG274.
References
Links to primary UK legislation and official regulator guidance. CertFlow is independent and not affiliated with these bodies.
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Workplace inspections, audits and checklists on a recurring schedule.
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