Legionella risk assessment for Leisure centres, gyms, and spas
Updated 16 August 2026
Key points
- A legionella risk assessment is required for leisure centres, gyms, and spas premises under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Approved Code of Practice L8
- Typical cost: £500 to £1500
- Review every 12 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
Leisure centres combine several high-risk features in one building: swimming pools, spa pools, steam rooms, shower blocks used by hundreds of people, and cooling or evaporative systems in the plant room. Spa pools in particular are the single highest-risk feature of any commercial water system because they operate at body temperature, contain organic load from bathers, and generate aerosols directly into the breathing zone of users.
HSG282 covers swimming pools, spa pools, and associated water features and sits alongside ACOP L8. A leisure centre will normally have a tiered control regime: daily water quality checks for pools and spas, weekly temperature monitoring across the domestic water system, monthly shower head inspections, and quarterly sampling of high-risk outlets. Poolside showers are a particular concern because they are warm, frequently used, and often encrusted with limescale.
Gyms without wet facilities are a much lower risk, similar to an office, but still need an assessment. The presence of any shower that could aerosolise water requires the system to be managed under ACOP L8.
Is it legally required?
Leisure facilities are commercial premises under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and ACOP L8. Pool and spa facilities fall under HSG282 as well. Where the building has a cooling tower or evaporative condenser, the Notification of Cooling Towers and Evaporative Condensers Regulations 1992 also apply and the tower must be registered with the local authority.
Who is the duty holder?
The duty holder is whoever has control of the premises or the water system. For leisure centres, gyms, and spas 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 leisure centres, gyms, and spas 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 leisure centres, gyms, and spas premises, that means at least every 12 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 leisure centres, gyms, and spas premises typically costs between £500 and £1500, 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.