A working control system, not just a report on a shelf. We put the right measures in place, monitor them and keep your records straight, to support your ongoing Legionella management.
20 years
Isaac's Legionella experience
HSE ACoP L8
compliant assessments
Gas Safe
registered
£5m
public liability cover
Service overview
Legionella control is the set of measures that stop bacteria growing in your water system and keep it that way. It covers temperature control, flushing little-used outlets, keeping storage clean, maintaining equipment such as water heaters and mixing valves, and checking regularly that all of it is working. We design and run these management systems and safety monitoring programmes for you.
It is for anyone who has had a risk assessment and now needs to act on it: facilities and estates managers, school business managers, healthcare premises, golf clubs, office buildings and landlords with multiple properties. It can support organisations that need help with ongoing management; the dutyholder retains responsibility.
Control should start as soon as risks are identified in your assessment, and run continuously. It becomes urgent if monitoring shows temperatures are out of range, a positive sample is returned, the building has been empty or partly unused, or the person who used to manage it has left.
Control fails most often through gaps: a flushing task missed during holidays, a thermostat drifting, a log that stops being filled in. Isaac Maginn has 20 years of experience helping organisations improve their Legionella control. The control programme should reflect your risk assessment and HSE guidance; discuss the tasks and records needed for your site.
The risk
An assessment without control is only a list of risks. If recommended actions are not carried out, the conditions for Legionella growth remain: warm stored water, stagnant pipework, dirty tanks. Over time biofilm builds up inside pipes and tanks, giving bacteria a protected place to multiply that becomes harder to clear.
When control slips, organisations risk exposure of staff, pupils, patients, members or tenants to Legionnaires' disease. They also risk enforcement action, as inspectors expect to see evidence that measures are being carried out, not just planned. A contaminated system can mean closing showers, changing rooms or whole buildings while it is cleaned and disinfected.
Service requirements
The scope, schedule, checks and any reporting or handover requirements are agreed for your property at quote stage.
We review your current risk assessment, records and how the building is used.
We identify which control measures are missing, overdue or not working.
We set out the tasks, frequencies and responsibilities needed to control the risk.
Our team carries out monitoring, flushing, temperature checks and any remedial works.
Record, review and update arrangements are agreed as part of the programme.
Benefits
Tasks are scheduled and carried out, not left to chance.
Problems are spotted early through regular monitoring.
Everyone knows who does what and when.
Records ready for inspectors, insurers and auditors.
Early action can reduce the likelihood of more extensive work.
One team handles monitoring, testing and remedial works.
In detail
The principles are the same everywhere, but the methods change with the system and the people using it.
Covering Water hygiene in Luton, Water hygiene in St Albans, Water hygiene in Dunstable, Water hygiene in Harpenden, Water hygiene in Hemel Hempstead, Water hygiene in Milton Keynes, Water hygiene in Bedfordshire, Water hygiene in Hertfordshire, Water hygiene in Buckinghamshire, Water hygiene in Northamptonshire, Water hygiene in Cambridgeshire and nationwide.
Keeping hot water hot enough and cold water cold enough is the main method of control in most buildings. We check temperatures at water heaters, returns and outlets, and identify where heat loss, poor insulation or incorrect settings are letting water sit in the range bacteria prefer.
Water that sits still is a risk. We identify outlets that are rarely used, such as spare showers, cleaners' sinks and seasonal changing rooms, and set up a flushing regime so water keeps moving. Where outlets are no longer needed, removing them and their pipework can remove the risk altogether.
Cold water storage tanks, calorifiers and thermostatic mixing valves all need maintaining. We inspect tanks for debris and condition, and arrange tank cleaning, disinfection and valve servicing as part of your control programme.
Healthcare facilities serve more vulnerable people, schools have long holiday shutdowns, and golf clubs have changing rooms with heavy weekend use and quiet weekdays. Each needs a control regime matched to its usage pattern, which we build into the plan.
Office buildings often have tanks and plant shared across tenants, while landlords need to manage empty periods between tenancies. We tailor monitoring frequency and records to fit.
Guide
The most effective Legionella control is simple, consistent and recorded. HSE guidance focuses on a few core principles: avoid water temperatures between 20°C and 45°C, avoid stagnation, avoid the build-up of nutrients such as rust, sludge and scale, and keep systems clean. Almost every control measure links back to one of these.
In practice, this means keeping stored hot water hot, keeping cold water cool, flushing outlets that are not used often, keeping tanks covered and clean, and maintaining equipment such as calorifiers and thermostatic mixing valves. None of these tasks is difficult on its own. The challenge is making sure they all happen, at the right frequency, every week of the year, and that someone notices when a result is wrong.
That is where many organisations struggle. Facilities teams are stretched, caretakers change, and Legionella control competes with dozens of other priorities. We take that pressure away by running the regime for you, keeping clear records and reporting arrangements agreed as part of the service.
Isaac Maginn's 20 years of experience across healthcare facilities, schools, golf clubs and office buildings means we can set up a regime that matches how your building is actually used, not a generic schedule that ignores holidays, quiet seasons or areas that are rarely occupied.
Healthcare facilities: patients and residents are often more vulnerable to infection, so HSE guidance sets tighter expectations, including hot water reaching outlets at 55°C. Control regimes need careful records, close attention to thermostatic mixing valves, and quick action when results drift. We plan monitoring around clinical areas so checks cause as little disruption as possible.
Schools: long holidays leave pipework standing for weeks. Before pupils return, outlets need flushing and temperatures need confirming. We build half-terms and summer holidays into the control plan to support preparations for pupils returning.
Golf clubs: changing rooms and showers are busy at weekends and during competitions, then quiet for days. Clubhouse kitchens and bars add further outlets. We set flushing and monitoring around these peaks and troughs, and make sure committees have clear records to show members and insurers.
Offices and landlords: shared plant, partial occupancy and empty units all increase stagnation risk. Landlords also need to manage periods between tenancies. We tailor control so every part of the building is covered, including floors or units that are currently unused.
It depends on the size of the site and how often tasks are needed. We provide a free site visit and a written quote.
No. Initial site visits and Legionella quotes are completely free, with no obligation. We provide detailed quotations.
Yes. Control measures should be based on a current risk assessment. If yours is missing or out of date, we can carry out a fully HSE ACoP L8 compliant assessment first.
Discuss monitoring tasks, records and reporting requirements as part of your quotation.
We tell you, explain what it means and recommend the corrective action, which our team can carry out.
Yes. Periods of low use are when risk increases, so we build them into the control plan.
Yes. Isaac Maginn's 20 years of experience covers healthcare facilities, schools, golf clubs and commercial office buildings.
We're available 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, so we can often work around your opening hours, school terms or tenant schedules. Call 07398 411881 to arrange a time.
Free site visit
Book your free site visit for legionella control. Initial site visits are free; the proposed work and terms are set out in a detailed quotation.
07398 411881isaac@imwhs.com · 8am – 8pm, Monday – Sunday
