Legionella in Retail Environments

Legionella is a bacteria that can be found naturally in environmental water sources and many purpose-built hot and cold water systems. If conditions are favourable the bacterium may grow creating conditions in which the risk from Legionnaires’ disease is increased.

All organisations, including those with retail portfolios, have legal duties under the Health & Safety Commissions (HSC) Approved Code of Practice (ACoP) L8 ‘The Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems’ which is enforced by the Health & Safety at Work Act and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).

There is a statutory requirement to carry out a Legionella risk assessment of each property in the portfolio whereby there is a duty of care to employees and visitors to the premises including the general public. This includes the inspection of assets such as water tanks, showers, sinks and taps.

When a customer visits a shop, bank or any other retail property,  they take it for granted that they can rely on the quality of water on their premises, and that the building and its services pose no risk to their health and safety. Unfortunately, this expectation is not always met. Protecting visitors to your organisation’s estate is as crucial as the efforts that go into ensuring high customer satisfaction, sales and generating new business. Legislation and regulation is increasingly complex and can become a real distraction from the important business of keeping your customers happy. However, the risks of non-compliance could involve risks to persons and the environment as well as potential litigation, financial cost and reputational damage.

Over the years we have executed a number of large projects for retail estates and were recently nominated for an award for our innovative and cost effective approach to managing water hygiene on a property portfolio of over 2,000 buildings.

We work on behalf of many retail organisations nationally and we have come to understand the issues you face. Our customers benefit from our independent, expert knowledge of water hygiene, our innovative use of technology, our cost effective solutions and our dedicated commitment to quality and customer service.

Are you tasked with managing water hygiene within the Retail sector? Find out more about our work with organisations within this sector