LEGIONELLA RISK ASSESSMENTS & WATER TESTING SOUTHAMPTON
LEGIONELLA RISK ASSESSMENT & WATER HYGIENE TESTING SOUTHAMPTON
From the portside offices of Ocean Village to the historic docks and sprawling university campuses, Southampton is a city where water quite literally runs through its veins. But wherever there’s water, there’s potential for Legionella. That’s where Optima Compliance steps in.
We deliver comprehensive Legionella risk assessments in Southampton and across Hampshire, helping businesses, landlords, and institutions protect people and maintain full legal compliance. Backed by more than 40 years of combined experience, our consultancy specialises in air and water risk management, working with you to make compliance clear, cost-effective, and reliable.
Our services fully comply with ACoP L8, HSG 274, and BS 8580-1:2019, giving you total confidence that your property meets the latest HSE requirements.
Why Legionella Risk Management Is Essential in Southampton
Southampton’s mix of modern developments, maritime infrastructure, and heritage buildings creates unique challenges for its water system. From cruise terminals and student accommodation to hospitals and hotels, the range of property types means risk varies widely.
Here are a few local factors that often increase Legionella risk in Southampton:
- Marine air and high humidity accelerate corrosion and biofilm formation.
- Intermittent water use in seasonal hospitality venues and portside offices.
- Older pipework in historic dock buildings and converted warehouses.
- Complex hot and cold systems in large hospitals and universities.
Optima Compliance’s local team of Legionella assessors in Southampton understands these site-specific challenges. We provide practical, data-backed solutions that make compliance not just achievable but sustainable in the long term.
Our Legionella Risk Assessment Process
Every building is different, so we never use a one-size-fits-all approach. Here’s what you can expect when you book a Legionella risk assessment with Optima Compliance:
- Consultation & Pre-Survey: We take the time to understand your property, water-use patterns, and any existing control measures.
- Site Visit: Our qualified assessor (City & Guilds or equivalent) inspects all relevant systems, from incoming mains to outlets, tanks, and calorifiers.
- Data Collection & Testing: When required, we carry out Legionella water testing in Southampton through UKAS-accredited laboratories for precise, verifiable results.
- Detailed Reporting: You’ll receive a clear, jargon-free report outlining your compliance position, identified risks, and recommendations for control.
- Action Plan & Consultation; We walk you through every part of the report, ensuring you fully understand each finding and required action.
- Ongoing Support: Through our secure client portal, you can manage documents, track monitoring schedules, and stay fully compliant over time.
Our goal is to turn complex legislation into simple, actionable guidance you can rely on.
WATER HYGIENE MONITORING & LEGIONELLA TESTING in SOUTHAMPTON
Optima Compliances highly experienced legionella risk assessment consultants are geographically located to ensure we can commit to national coverage throughout the UK. The team are dedicated to providing an industry high standard of service to ensure you get a report that reads the same wherever in the UK to assessment is carried out.
All of our fully qualified (City & Guilds or equivalent) assessors comply fully with current HSE approved code of practice ACoP L8 and HSG 274 guidance along with BS 8580-1:2019 to provide the highest quality consultancy, to help all your properties reduce and control the risk of Legionella.
We at Optima Compliance understand our clients’ obligations to provide safe buildings and workplaces and to comply with all government health and safety legislation as a legal requirement. We also understand that you don’t want to receive an expensive complex report that is difficult to understand. Optima Compliance offers an economical and easy to read Legionella risk assessment.
The report will always highlight the legislation, but ensure the actions you need to take are specific to your building and easy to perceive. We always provide any aftercare consultation that our clients may require, helping you further understand how to achieve a safe and compliant water system. This is what makes Optima Compliance the number one choice when it comes to national delivery.
We carry out legionella risk assessments of all types of buildings and sites across the UK including spas, construction sites, leisure centres, cooling towers, council buildings, rented homes, schools, hotels, B&Bs, hair salons, and dental surgeries. Legionella assessing of all of these types of properties nationally are a requirement.
No matter your type of business, building or water system it is vital that you control the risk of legionnaires disease, a potentially fatal type of pneumonia, with testing or legionella risk assessment of all properties. The service is cost-effective, and will give you the assurances that you complying with government legislation.
To arrange a proposal for Legionella risk assessing, simply get in touch now. All you need to do is submit an enquiry form including a few details about your requirements. We will promptly reply with a quote and our available schedule to carry out the Legionella site surveys. Alternatively, you can give us a call and one of the team will be happy to help.
WATER HYGIENE RISK ASSESSMENTS UK
If you own or are responsible for a property in the UK with any form of water system used by employees, tenants, or the public, then you are required to control the risk of legionella. Having a comprehensive legionella risk assessment in place is a key step to compliance and proving you have a safe water system.
Legionella bacteria is present in water systems around the entire UK. The bacterium Legionella pneumophila and related bacteria are common in natural water sources such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs, but usually in low numbers. They are also found in purpose-built water systems such as cooling towers, evaporative condensers, hot and cold water systems and spa pools where human contact is more likely and where increased risk is found.
If conditions are favourable, the bacteria may grow increasing the risks of Legionnaires’ disease and it is therefore important to control the risks by introducing appropriate measures outlined by the HSE guidance documents ACoP L8 and HSG 274.
The main route of infection is through inhalation, by breathing in airborne water droplets that contain Legionella bacteria. The majority of cases or outbreaks of the disease have been via domestic water systems, evaporative cooling towers, poorly maintained artificial water systems and spa pools.
Vulnerability is heightened for certain groups including; people over 45 years of age, smokers and heavy drinkers, people suffering from chronic respiratory or kidney disease, people suffering from Diabetes, lung and heart disease, anyone with an impaired immune system.
Legionellosis is a collective term for diseases caused by legionella bacteria including the most serious Legionnaires’ disease, as well as the similar but less serious conditions of Pontiac fever and Lochgoilhead fever. Legionnaires’ disease is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia, and everyone is susceptible to infection.
It is vital that all premises implement the required control methods specific to the type of system and its design and continuously assess the risk where any changes may occur through the implementation of a written scheme of control.
As an employer or a person in control of a premises in the UK, you are legally responsible for health and safety and need to take the right precautions to reduce the risks of exposure to legionella. This includes making sure that you have carried out a sufficient Legionella Risk Assessment, implement all the continuous necessary control measures required for your water system and carry out any required remedial works.
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Frequently Asked Question's
WHAT IS LEGIONELLA?
Legionnaire’s Disease, frequently caused by Legionella Pneumophila serogroup 1, is a potentially fatal form of pneumonia and everyone is susceptible to infection. It is a bacteria readily found in natural water sources but usually harmless as the numbers of bacteria commonly found in natural water sources is low. Additionally, the conditions found in these sources are unlikely to lead to infection.
WHEN DOES LEGIONELLA BECOME DANGEROUS?
Legionella becomes a danger to us all when conditions are right for the bacteria to breed. Water temperature plays a key part in encouraging bacteria growth. Temperatures between 20-45˚C are ideal for bacteria growth. Infection is normally caused by inhaling small droplets of water (aerosols) and that is why showerheads in domestic and commercial properties are a key source of Legionella infection. Testing these sources may be a key part of a regular testing programme, but how do you know what to do? The short ansewer is that it begins with a Legionella Risk Assessment which is a legal requirement under the Control of Substances Hoazardous to health (COSHH). This will evaluate the causal chain and can include inspection of water storage.
WHO IS AT RISK?
Everyone is at risk of infection. However, the risk of infection increases for people who are or have;
IS A LEGIONELLA RISK ASSESSMENT A LEGAL REQUIREMENT?
Employers and landlords have certain legal responsibilities when it comes to assessing and controlling the risk of Legionella exposure. If methods of Legionella testing and control measures using HSE guidance are not carried out accurately, they could face fines and legal action. Legionella bacteria and other waterborne pathogens are responsible for causing a significant amount of serious health conditions and deaths each year, and the number of cases is on the rise. The guidance set out by the HSE are effective methods in ensuring water systems can be kept as safe as possible to all. A Legionella Risk Assessment is a key step toward making the water systems in your building/workplace are safe.
DO I NEED A LEGIONELLA RISK ASSESSMENT FOR MY BUSINESS?
Yes! All UK businesses need a Legionella Risk Assessment. The document should provide you with a list of actions/recommendations, a scheme of control in which should be implemented to site and a risk rating. A suitable and sufficient Legionella Risk Assessment cost can be anything between £200 - £1000+ depending on the size and type of building.
DO I NEED TO DO ANYTHING ELSE AFTER I HAVE ASSESSED THE RISKS?
Risk assessment is just the start but no further action maybe required apart from regular review should no foreseeable risk be identified. If a reasonably foreseeable risk is identified then a written scheme of control will be required to drawn up, implemented and adjusted as necessary.
DO I NEED TO COLLECT LEGIONELLA SAMPLES?
Routine legionella sampling is not advocated for well controlled hot and cold water systems apart from in certain situations such as a high susceptible population and/or where problems with water quality controlled are identified.
