Legionella risk assessment for Hairdressers and barbers
Updated 7 September 2026
Key points
- A legionella risk assessment is required for hairdressers and barbers premises under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Approved Code of Practice L8
- Typical cost: £100 to £250
- Review every 24 months, or sooner if the water system, its use, or the people using it change
- A named duty holder (usually the employer, landlord, or building operator) must arrange it and act on its findings
The backwash basin is what makes a salon different from any other small shop. Hot water there is delivered warm, close to skin temperature, because the immediate risk being managed is scalding a client's scalp. That means the water arriving at the spray head sits squarely in the legionella growth range by design, so control cannot come from temperature at the outlet. It has to come from a hot source temperature, regular turnover, and cleaning of the spray fittings.
Most salons are simple systems: a point-of-use water heater or a combi boiler, one or two backwash basins with shower-style spray heads, and a staff tap. The spray head is the pinch point. It generates aerosol at head height, close to the client's face, and it scales up quickly in hard water areas. Heads and hoses should be descaled and disinfected on a set schedule, and any second basin that is only used at busy times belongs on the weekly flushing list for little-used outlets. Where a thermostatic mixing valve feeds the basins, it needs periodic servicing like any other TMV.
The duty sits with the salon owner or employer under the Health and Safety at Work Act, and for a single-site salon the assessment is simple enough to carry out in-house using a structured template, provided the findings and the flushing and cleaning records are actually written down. Mobile hairdressers working in clients' homes are assessing someone else's domestic system and the practical risk is low, but a salon chair rented inside another business should be covered by an explicit note of whose system it is.
Is it legally required?
Yes. The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 places a general duty on employers and those in control of premises to protect people from health risks. The Approved Code of Practice L8 sets out how this duty applies specifically to legionella, and HSG274 provides the technical detail. These apply to hairdressers and barbers premises with any water system that can aerosolise water, including taps, showers, spray humidifiers, fountains, and cooling towers.
Who is the duty holder?
The duty holder is whoever has control of the premises or the water system. For hairdressers and barbers premises, this is usually the employer, owner, landlord, or managing agent. The duty cannot be contracted out: you can hire a water hygiene consultant, but the legal responsibility still sits with you.
If you are unsure who holds the duty for your premises, see: Who is responsible for a legionella risk assessment?
What the assessment should cover
ACOP L8 sets out five things a suitable and sufficient assessment must do:
- Identify and assess sources of risk across the whole water system, including stored hot and cold water, dead legs, rarely used outlets, and any equipment that generates aerosols
- Produce a written scheme for preventing or controlling the risk, with specific tasks, temperatures, and frequencies
- Implement, manage, and monitor the scheme in practice, not just on paper
- Keep records of the assessment, the scheme, monitoring results, and any remedial action taken
- Appoint a competent person (often called the "responsible person") to be accountable for the scheme
Free legionella risk assessment template
A structured Word document following the five-step approach in ACOP L8. Covers risk identification, written scheme, monitoring, and records. If it isn't written down, you can't evidence it.
Follows ACoP L8 and HSG274 Part 2. Free. No spam.
Specific water system risks to check
For hairdressers and barbers premises, assessors typically pay close attention to:
- Hot water storage temperatures (calorifiers must reach 60°C throughout)
- Hot water distribution temperatures (50°C within one minute at outlets)
- Cold water storage tank condition, lid seal, and temperature (below 20°C)
- Dead legs, redundant pipework, and little-used outlets
- Shower heads, flexible hoses, and thermostatic mixing valves
- Any cooling tower, evaporative condenser, or spa pool (these are notifiable to the local authority under the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992)
How often to review
There is no fixed legal interval, but ACOP L8 requires that the assessment is reviewed regularly and whenever there is reason to believe it may no longer be valid. For most hairdressers and barbers premises, that means at least every 24 months and sooner after any of the following:
- Changes to the water system (new pipework, fittings, equipment)
- Changes to the use of the building or the number of occupants
- A positive legionella test result or a case of Legionnaires' disease linked to the premises
- Prolonged periods of low occupancy or system shutdown (a risk during holidays, term breaks, or refurbishment)
- New guidance from HSE
Typical cost
A professional legionella risk assessment for hairdressers and barbers premises typically costs between £100 and £250, depending on the size of the building, the number of water outlets, and whether there are any cooling towers or evaporative condensers (these add significantly to the cost because of the statutory inspection regime).
Use our cost calculator for an estimate based on your specific water system.
Need a legionella risk assessment for your premises? We will be partnering with Legionella Control Association registered providers shortly.
Free legionella risk assessment template
A structured Word document following the five-step approach in ACOP L8. Covers risk identification, written scheme, monitoring, and records. If it isn't written down, you can't evidence it.
Follows ACoP L8 and HSG274 Part 2. Free. No spam.