Legionella training

Updated 12 September 2026

Legionella training is one of the things that duty holders consistently under-resource. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require information, instruction, and training to be provided to employees who might be affected by health and safety risks. ACOP L8 extends this specifically to anyone involved in carrying out the legionella scheme. In practice, "anyone" usually means the named responsible person, the maintenance team, and any contractor staff doing monitoring or remediation work.

This page covers the four main types of training on offer in the UK, what each level covers, and how to choose the right one.

Legionella awareness

Awareness training is the entry-level course, usually delivered online, lasting around one to two hours with an end-of-course test. It covers:

• What legionella is and how it causes disease
• Which water systems can carry legionella
• The legal framework (Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, ACOP L8, HSG274)
• Basic control measures and the role of temperature
• The role of the responsible person and the duty holder

Awareness training is appropriate for general staff who have incidental involvement: reception staff who may be asked about the scheme, cleaners who deal with shower heads and tap outlets, and general facilities staff who are not directly responsible for monitoring.

Costs typically range from 15 to 50 pounds per person. Most providers are IOSH-accredited, which gives a recognisable quality benchmark.

Responsible person training

Responsible person training is the course for the named individual who manages the scheme day to day. It ranges from a half-day online course to a two-day classroom or blended programme. The content covers awareness plus:

• Interpreting a legionella risk assessment
• Designing and documenting a written scheme of control
• Temperature monitoring methodology and record keeping
• When and how to sample, and how to interpret results
• What to do if samples exceed the action thresholds
• Supervision of contractors
• Record keeping and the five-year retention requirement

This is the level of training that most duty holders need for their internal responsible person. It is explicitly endorsed in HSG274 Part 2 as the minimum for the named appointee.

Costs typically range from 150 to 500 pounds per person depending on delivery mode and provider. IOSH, RoSPA, and City & Guilds are the main accrediting bodies.

L8 specialist courses

L8 courses are longer, more technical programmes aimed at staff who actively carry out water hygiene work: monitoring technicians, sampling staff, disinfection operatives, and small water hygiene company employees. These typically run over two to five days and cover:

• Water system survey and schematic drawing
• Thermometer calibration and monitoring technique
• Sampling methodology (including depth, volume, and neutralisation)
• Chemical dosing and disinfection procedures
• Cooling tower management (for tower-specific courses)
• Interpretation of laboratory results
• Report writing and record keeping

Costs typically range from 400 to 1,500 pounds depending on depth and delivery. For technicians carrying out field work, this is the level employers should be budgeting for.

City & Guilds qualifications

City & Guilds offers a specific qualification in legionella control (City & Guilds 6041 in some iterations) that is the benchmark for professional assessors and contractors. It includes a written assessment, practical elements, and a portfolio of evidence. The qualification is formally accredited under the Regulated Qualifications Framework and is the standard reference when specifying "a competent legionella risk assessor".

Employers commissioning assessment work should look for assessors who have this qualification (or equivalent experience-plus-competence demonstration) and whose employing company is Legionella Control Association registered.

Dental waterline training

Dental practices have a specific additional training requirement for dental unit waterline management, covered by HTM 01-05 chapter 2. This is usually combined with general decontamination training for the nominated Decontamination Lead. Providers include the British Dental Association, the Society for Decontamination Professionals, and several commercial operators.

How often to refresh

Refresher training is not specifically prescribed in ACOP L8 but is expected in practice. HSG274 Part 2 recommends refreshing at least every two years, and sooner where:

• There has been a significant change to the water system
• There has been a significant change to the control scheme
• There has been an incident (positive sample above the action threshold, case of Legionnaires'' disease) that reveals gaps in current knowledge
• The individual''s role changes to include legionella responsibilities they did not have before

Training records should form part of the legionella compliance file, including the course title, the date, the provider, the duration, and the outcome.

Choosing a provider

Look for:

• Accreditation by a recognised body (IOSH, RoSPA, City & Guilds, or equivalent)
• Course content mapped explicitly to ACOP L8 and HSG274
• A proper end-of-course assessment with a pass mark, not just attendance
• Certificates that include the course content and the pass criteria, not just a generic completion sticker
• Trainers with industry experience, not just teaching qualifications
• Positive references from similar premises or sectors to yours

Free courses are available but are usually marketing exercises. They can be useful for initial awareness but are rarely sufficient evidence of competence for the responsible person.