Legionella Training Courses at Awareness, Responsible Person & Duty Holder Levels

Investigations in to outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease by safety regulators around the world have consistently shown that legionella training and staff competence are critical components in any effective workplace risk management programme and play an important role in ensuring both worker safety and regulatory compliance are achieved.

While training is not a legal requirement, UK safety regulators including the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) in their Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8, and Care Quality Commission (CQC) expect people with responsibility for the management of health and safety in the workplace to be properly trained to a level that allows them to perform their duties safely and effectively.

This means that if you have ANY responsibility for the control of legionella at work you MUST be competent to do your job… and this may require further, job specific training.

ACOP L8 legionella training courses

Legionella Control International is the UK’s leading legionella training course provider delivering a full range of specialist classroom, on-site and online City & Guilds accredited courses.

Our courses meet all latest regulatory standards including ACOP L8 and HSG274, and satisfy the requirements for legionella training set by the UK safety regulators, the Health and Safety Executive and Care Quality Commission.

Our main training centres are located in London, Manchester and Glasgow, with additional venues in Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds and Newcastle.

Additionally, any of our City & Guilds courses can be delivered exclusively for you and your teams, at your premises.

Courses that explain exactly what you need to know

Our modern, fully compliant legionella training courses help organisations and their staff meet the training requirements set by the UK’s primary safety regulators, the Health and Safety Executive and Care Quality Commission.

They are designed specifically for those people with responsibility for the control of legionella in the workplace including landlords, business owners and directors, health and safety specialists, property and facilities managers, maintenance technicians, duty holders and the responsible person.

Courses include legionella awareness, responsible person and duty holder training, refresher and practical L8 compliance workshops.

Fully accredited legionella training delivered by industry experts

All our courses are delivered by highly trained, experienced legionella and water safety experts who deliver our presentations using the latest teaching techniques for a highly effective and engaging learning experience.

Our courses are highly rated by our clients with an approval rating across all training courses that is currently in excess of 99%.

Highly rated… our client approval rating across all training courses exceeds 99%

Our ACOP L8 and HSG274 based legionella courses have been developed in partnership with City & Guilds and are fully accredited by them, we are regulated by the UK’s Legionella Control Association to deliver specialist legionella training and we are a UK Government registered learning provider.

Additionally, our quality and environmental management systems are accredited by the British Standards Institution to meet the latest ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 standards.

World-class legionella training solutions

We deliver an extensive range of industry leading legionella training courses developed to suit different roles and responsibilities.

UK wide training venues or we’ll come to you

Rated highly by our clients, we work closely with organisations of all shapes and sizes, across all sectors throughout the UK and internationally, training people with responsibility for the control of legionella in the workplace to give them the skills and knowledge to perform their duties effectively and so meet their social, insurance and legal obligations with confidence.

With our main training centres in Manchester, London and Glasgow, and additional venues located throughout the UK we can offer full nationwide cover.

We can also send one of our expert trainers to you to deliver courses exclusively for you and your staff, at your premises.

Legionella training courses dates for 2019 & 2020

Our public training courses are run at regular intervals throughout the year at convenient locations across the United Kingdom including London and the South East, South West, Midlands, North East, North West, Scotland and Wales.

• 2019 & 2020 legionella training course dates and locations

We also offer training courses that can be delivered exclusively for your staff, at your premises.

If you are a landlord, business owner, health and safety manager, property and facilities specialist, duty holder or the nominated responsible person and would like to learn more about our fully accredited legionella training solutions please contact us today.

Our experts can quickly help you develop practical learning and staff development plans that will help to keep people safe, protect your reputation and demonstrate to the safety regulators and other important stakeholders that you are taking appropriate measures to manage the risks in your business.

To speak with one of our legionella training specialists’ call us today on 0330 223 36 86 or contact us here …

Our legionella training courses in more detail …

We deliver a comprehensive range of City & Guilds accredited legionella training courses and practical skills-based workshops that meet the standards set by the UK’s safety regulators.

Our courses have been developed to improve legionella awareness, knowledge and the competence of those involved in the management and control of Legionella bacteria and Legionnaires’ disease in the workplace.

If you have any responsibility for the control of legionella in the workplace you must be aware of and understand your legal responsibilities, have the appropriate level of knowledge, and be competent to do the job required of you… and that would typically mean having training to ensure you reach those levels.

We offer a wide range of learning options from practical task-based workshops and legionella awareness training to advanced level duty holder and responsible person courses.

Suitable for those involved in the management and control of legionella, our various courses are designed to meet the needs of candidates at all levels of technical competence and experience including business owners and directors, landlords, facilities managers, technicians, duty holders and those appointed as the responsible person.

• Learn more about Legionnaires’ disease

Legionella training is an essential component of any good legionella risk management programme… in fact, the UK’s Health & Safety Executive highlights the lack of training, inadequate management and poor communication as contributory factors in outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease.

As a result, they expect those people involved in assessing legionella risks, and managing and applying control measures to be competent, suitably trained and fully aware of their legal responsibilities.

World-class water safety experts

Legionella Control International is a world-leading water safety, legionella risk management and specialist training provider.

We are expert in the delivery of pragmatic health and safety solutions that include City & Guilds legionella training courses and practical workshops.

Additionally, we also deliver water safety risk assessments, we support the development and implementation of water safety control schemes, compliance auditing, water testing and software solutions to organisations throughout the United Kingdom and internationally.

If you would like to learn more about our flexible training solutions and how we can help you develop practical plans that keep people safe, protect your reputation and demonstrate to the regulator and other stakeholders that you are taking reasonable steps to manage the risks in your workplace then call us on 0330 223 36 86 or contact us.

Management responsibilities, Legionnaires’ training and competence

Training and competence are seen by the Health & Safety Executive as key aspects vital for the successful control of Legionnaires’ disease and legionella in the workplace.

In their Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8, “Legionnaires’ disease: The control of legionella bacteria in water systems” they state that:

” … Those specifically appointed to implement the [legionella] control measures and strategies should be suitably informed, instructed and trained and their suitability assessed. They must be properly trained to a level that ensures tasks are carried out in a safe, technically competent manner; and receive regular refresher training.”

The latest, fourth edition of the HSE’s ACOP L8 can be ordered direct from the HSE website if you require a hard copy, or downloaded here…

• Review the HSE’s ACOP L8 in more detail

Whether you are a technician, maintenance manager, you may have taken on the role of the duty holder or been appointed the responsible person, or you are a health and safety manager wishing to improve your competence levels in this important area of health and safety, then we have a training course for you.

Is it a legal requirement to have training to control Legionnaires’ disease?

You are not legally required to go through training to perform your duties as a duty holder, a responsible person or if you are involved in work that may expose other people to legionella.

However, with that said, you must be aware of and understand your legal responsibilities, have the appropriate level of knowledge, and be competent to do the job required of you… and that would typically mean having training to ensure you reach those levels.

The need for regular refresher training is also mentioned in the ACOP L8 guidance issued by the HSE.

In some cases, businesses will have complex water systems whereby the risk of legionella spreading would only be understood and managed correctly if the people involved had received appropriate training and regular refresher courses.

In other instances, the risk of legionella may be so small, training may not be required to undertake the duties required of the responsible person.

For example, a landlord with one or two residential properties on their books may need to do no more than a basic risk assessment to ensure there is not a significant risk of Legionella bacteria multiplying in the water systems in use.

• What happens when people are poorly trained to perform their duties?

How the Health & Safety Executive view ACOP L8 training and competence

Anyone who has a responsibility to ensure legionella is appropriately controlled and is not a danger to those in the workplace who use or encounter water systems can find plenty of advice and guidance in the Health and Safety Executive’s Approved Code of Practice ACOP L8.

While no one is required to follow the guidance given in the ACOP, you should be aware that it does have a special legal status.

The HSE’s ACOP L8 has a special legal status… this means that if you are prosecuted for a breach of health and safety law, and it’s shown that you failed to follow the ACOP, you’ll need to convince the Court that you complied with the law in some other way.

• What is the special legal status of HSE guidance and their legionella ACOP L8?

The same applies to training… and while it is not necessary to have legionella training, without it, it is far more likely you would unwittingly neglect some of your duties in dealing with the control of legionella.

It would be far more likely that you, the responsible person, or the duty holder, or anyone else involved, may assume they are doing enough to meet their legal responsibilities in this area, when in fact they are falling short.

So, while legionella training is not a legal requirement, it is perhaps a moral requirement.

The HSE makes it clear that the person appointing someone to undertake a risk assessment, for example, should be skilled, competent, and experienced in this area.

While you may not be the individual to undertake the risk assessment and other duties in this area, you must be able to identify the right person for the job.

Training provided to this person, and indeed undertaken by you, can help keep you and your colleagues’ safe, not to mention all others who may encounter the water systems used by your business.

As an employer, do I need L8 legionella training?

Once again, while there is no legal requirement to have any, it is of paramount importance that you take your duties and responsibilities seriously.

If you have training based on the requirements of the HSE’s ACOP L8, HSG274 and other relevant guidance, you will develop a far greater understanding of the risks posed by legionella, and how you can identify and control those risks within your own organisation.

Training will also make it easier for you to understand what must be done to ensure levels of Legionella bacteria (and other waterborne pathogens) remain at safe levels.

It makes the chance of errors and omissions far less likely to happen, thus making your business environment safer, and making it easier for you to adhere to all health and safety laws and the specific requirements regarding the control of legionella and Legionnaires’ disease.

Who else needs training to control legionella?

Anyone who is involved in risk assessments for legionella, or who must perform regular checks on a water system, or who is responsible for cleaning, disinfection or treating a water system, should have regular training and refresher courses to help them perform their jobs properly.

Without such training, there is a greatly-increased chance that things will get missed or go wrong.

• Learn more about conducting risk assessments for legionella

We run a full range of legionella training courses targeted at the responsible persons, duty holders, and others with a vested interest in maintaining good practice where water systems and legionella are concerned.

Contact us now to find out which course would be most appropriate for you … contact us

How is competence defined?

Competence is an important word that comes up time and again when you begin reading about Legionnaires’ disease, legionella and your duties in keeping it under control, and keeping your business safe from the potential risks that exist.

According to the Oxford Dictionary competence means …

“the ability to do something successfully or efficiently”

For a person to be competent in their duties, they must have a good understanding of their legal responsibilities, knowledge of Legionnaires’ disease, Legionella bacteria and how it may multiply in certain circumstances, and of how such multiplication can be prevented by taking appropriate actions to identify and control the risks.

• How do the Legionella Control Association deal with the question of competence?

It is easy to see that if a person does not have the required level of experience and competence, there is a far greater chance they will not perform their duties to the highest standards required.

This in turn may mean Legionella bacteria is allowed to multiply within a water system, thereby creating an increased risk of people being affected by the bacteria, and possibly developing either Legionnaires’ disease or Pontiac fever.

• Learn more about the essentials behind effective safety training

Competence can only be confirmed if a person undertakes and completes an appropriate, recognised course of legionella training.

Continued competence is then achievable by taking regular refresher courses to solidify and confirm the original knowledge gleaned from the chosen course.

Can legionella training help you avoid the most likely failures?

Yes… in fact research conducted by regulators around the world including the UK’s Health and Safety Executive in to previous outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease have identified several areas where failures can occur, such as:

• Poor communication between those responsible for managing risk
• A lack of clarity as to whom is responsible for what
• Failure to implement any advice and recommendations given, possibly because of a risk assessment identifying changes that should be made
• Neglecting to perform legionella risk assessments when required
• Poor training and management

If you are an employer, landlord or have health and safety responsibilities for other people in the workplace then you have certain obligations under health and safety law.

Even if you appoint others to handle risk assessments and other duties relating to the management of legionella risks, you are still responsible for making sure they are adequately and appropriately trained.

Take steps today to make sure that is the case. Call Legionella Control International now on 0330 223 36 86 and find out about our bespoke training, internet training, and regular training and refresher courses.