Legionella awareness training online in the UK: where to train and what employers look for

What employers look for in an online legionella awareness certificate

Your employer, or your own position as a duty holder, decides what legionella training you need. The Approved Code of Practice L8 expects anyone with legionella duties to be competent, and the Health and Safety at Work Act and COSHH put the duty to assess and control the risk on employers, landlords and those in control of premises. When an employer checks a certificate, they usually look for:

• Content that follows the law and HSE guidance. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and COSHH across Great Britain, the Approved Code of Practice L8 and HSG274 Part 2 for hot and cold water systems.
• A clear, verifiable record. The course name, hours of learning and completion date, with a way to confirm the certificate.
• The essentials an awareness course should cover. What legionella is and who is at risk, where it grows, who is responsible, what a risk assessment and written scheme contain, temperature checks, flushing, showerhead cleaning and records.
• A refresh date. L8 expects competence to be maintained, and most duty holders refresh awareness every year, so a refresh date matters.

Lift College's certificate does each of these. It records Legionella Awareness Training, 1 hour of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date 12 months on, with a unique certificate number and a verification link. This is awareness level training. Designing a written scheme, treating a complex system or acting as the competent person for a large site is specialist work that needs further training.

What the Lift College course covers

There are 4 short modules, each with a knowledge check, then a multiple choice final test with an 80% pass mark and unlimited free retakes.

1. Legionella and Legionnaires' disease. What the bacteria are, how people are infected by inhaling droplets, the symptoms, who is most at risk, and notable UK outbreaks.
2. Where legionella grows. Temperatures between 20 and 45 degrees, stagnation, scale, sludge and biofilm. Hot and cold water systems, showers, dead legs, tanks, spa pools, cooling towers and evaporative condensers.
3. The law and who is responsible. The Health and Safety at Work Act, COSHH, the Approved Code of Practice L8 and HSG274. Duty holders, responsible persons, landlords and employees.
4. Risk assessment, controls and records. What a legionella risk assessment covers, the written scheme, monthly temperature checks, weekly flushing of little used outlets, quarterly showerhead cleaning, tank inspections and the records to keep.

By the end you can explain how legionella grows and spreads, say who is responsible for controlling it in your building, describe what a risk assessment and written scheme contain, carry out the routine checks an awareness trained person is asked to do, and keep the records an inspector expects to see.

The law and guidance it is written around

• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, section 2 (England, Wales and Scotland). The general duty on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, with section 3 extending the duty to people who are not employees, such as tenants, residents and visitors.
• Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002, regulation 12 (England, Wales and Scotland). Legionella bacteria are a biological agent, so employers must assess the risk, prevent or control exposure and give suitable information, instruction and training.
• HSE Approved Code of Practice L8: Legionnaires' disease, the control of legionella bacteria in water systems (Great Britain). The code that sets out how duty holders identify and assess the risk, appoint a competent person, prevent or control the risk, keep records and review. Following it is the accepted way to comply with the law.
• HSE HSG274 Part 2: hot and cold water systems (Great Britain). Technical guidance on the controls most buildings need: temperature regimes, flushing little used outlets, cleaning showerheads, inspecting tanks and the records to keep.

In Northern Ireland the equivalent duties sit under the Health and Safety at Work (Northern Ireland) Order 1978 and the 2003 COSHH Regulations, and HSENI points duty holders to the same L8 and HSG274 guidance.

How Lift College compares with other UK providers

Details below are as each provider shows them on its own course page, checked 16 October 2026. "Check provider" means the page did not state it.

With Lift College the £19.99 is the full price for one learner, with nothing added at checkout, and the refresher is free when your recommended refresh date arrives. Retakes of the final test are free and unlimited.

Who it suits

Legionella Awareness Training is for anyone with a part to play in controlling legionella in a building's water systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for you if:

• you look after a building's water system as a caretaker, facilities or maintenance worker
• you are a landlord, letting agent or property manager
• you manage a care home, hotel, gym, school or leisure centre
• you have been named the responsible person for legionella
• you want to understand what the risk assessment and records should contain

Legionella sits under COSHH, so our COSHH guide is the natural companion. If you look after an older building, see our asbestos awareness guide. For general workplace safety, see our health and safety guide. See every course on the health and safety courses page or browse all Lift College CPD courses. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.

Enrol on Legionella Awareness Training for £19.99 and start module 1 the minute you pay. Ask within 14 days of paying and we refund you in full.