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Legionella & Water Hygiene Risk Management Training Course

Covers Legionella risk assessment, written control schemes for cooling towers and domestic water systems, sampling result interpretation and outbreak response.

IH · Occupational & Industrial HygieneAll Levels#3056ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
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Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Course Overview

The Legionella & Water Hygiene Risk Management Training Course equips facilities managers, district-cooling operators, hospital and hotel engineering teams, and public health inspectors with a structured approach to controlling Legionella bacteria in building water systems and cooling plants. The course focuses on the management side of water hygiene: identifying where risk arises, assigning clear responsibilities, implementing written control schemes, verifying that controls work, and responding decisively when monitoring or sampling shows that control has been lost. Legionella bacteria multiply in water systems where temperatures favor growth, water stagnates, and sediment, scale, and biofilm provide nutrients and protection. The risk becomes real when contaminated water is dispersed as aerosols that people can inhale, whether from cooling towers, evaporative condensers, showers, spa pools, decorative fountains, or humidifiers. Buildings in hot climates, large hotels, healthcare facilities, and district-cooling networks therefore need disciplined, documented control rather than ad hoc treatment. Participants work through the complete risk management cycle described in ASHRAE Standard 188, WHO guidance on Legionella, and the UK Health and Safety Executive's Approved Code of Practice L8 and technical guidance HSG274, alongside the requirements of municipal and public health authorities. Topics include system surveys and schematic drawings, risk assessment methods, water safety plans, temperature and biocide control regimes, cooling tower treatment and cleaning, hot and cold water distribution controls, flushing of little-used outlets, and the management of contractors and service providers. Through case studies, risk assessment exercises, reviews of logbooks and laboratory results, and outbreak scenarios, the course builds practical judgment in interpreting monitoring data, applying the action levels defined in the written scheme, and coordinating with public health authorities during an investigation. It complements general building maintenance and chilled water plant programs by concentrating entirely on water hygiene risk, governance, and evidence of effective control.

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the ecology of Legionella bacteria and the conditions that allow its growth and aerosol transmission.
  • Analyze the duties of duty holders, responsible persons, and service providers under recognized Legionella frameworks.
  • Conduct a structured survey of hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, and other aerosol-generating plant.
  • Develop Legionella risk assessments that identify hazards, rate the level of risk, and prioritize practical control measures.
  • Prepare written control schemes and water safety plans that define controls, monitoring, responsibilities, and corrective actions.
  • Evaluate temperature control, biocide treatment, and alternative disinfection methods for hot and cold water distribution systems.
  • Assess cooling tower and evaporative condenser controls, including water treatment, drift reduction, cleaning, and disinfection.
  • Design sampling plans for Legionella and supporting water quality parameters, with correct sampling points and chain of custody.
  • Interpret monitoring and laboratory results against the action levels defined in the written scheme and decide proportionate responses.
  • Plan the response to positive results, suspected cases, and outbreaks in coordination with public health authorities.
  • Establish record keeping, audits, and performance indicators that demonstrate effective control to inspectors.
  • Develop an improvement plan to strengthen water hygiene governance, contractor management, and staff competence in their organization.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for facilities managers, building services engineers, maintenance managers, and water hygiene coordinators responsible for the safe operation of hot and cold water systems, cooling towers, and other water-based plant in commercial, public, and industrial buildings. It is particularly relevant to district-cooling operators, hospital and hotel engineering teams, HSE and industrial hygiene specialists, water treatment professionals, and property and asset managers, as well as municipal health inspectors and regulators who review Legionella risk assessments and control records in public establishments. The course will especially benefit duty holders, responsible persons, and supervisors who appoint and oversee water treatment contractors, approve written control schemes, and must demonstrate to authorities and senior management that Legionella risk is properly controlled across their sites.

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain how Legionella grows in building water systems and how aerosols create exposure risk.
  • Identify the management duties of duty holders, responsible persons, and water treatment contractors.
  • Prepare accurate schematic drawings and survey findings for building water systems and cooling plant.
  • Conduct Legionella risk assessments and prioritize control measures according to the level of risk.
  • Develop written control schemes and water safety plans with clear tasks and responsibilities.
  • Apply temperature, flushing, and treatment controls to hot and cold water distribution systems.
  • Evaluate cooling tower treatment, cleaning, disinfection, and drift control arrangements.
  • Design sampling plans and interpret laboratory results against the action levels in the written scheme.
  • Determine proportionate corrective actions when monitoring shows a loss of control.
  • Coordinate outbreak response with public health authorities, contractors, and internal teams.
  • Maintain records, audits, and performance indicators that demonstrate effective control.
  • Develop a practical improvement plan for water hygiene governance in their organization.

Course Outline

Course Outline:

Day 1

Legionella Hazard, Transmission, and Management Duties

  • Legionella ecology in building water systems
  • Growth conditions: temperature, stagnation, nutrients, and biofilm
  • Aerosol generation and routes of exposure
  • Systems of concern: cooling towers, hot and cold water, spa pools, and fountains
  • Frameworks: ASHRAE Standard 188, WHO guidance, HSE L8 and HSG274
  • Municipal and public health authority requirements
  • Duty holders, responsible persons, and competence
  • Lessons from published outbreak investigations
  • Practical application: Map a hotel or hospital water system and locate potential Legionella risk
Day 2

Water System Surveys and Legionella Risk Assessment

  • Planning the site survey and gathering records
  • Preparing accurate schematic drawings
  • Dead legs, little-used outlets, and stagnation points
  • Storage tanks, calorifiers, and temperature distribution
  • Susceptible populations and building use patterns
  • Risk rating methods and prioritization of findings
  • Reviewing existing controls and management arrangements
  • Triggers for reviewing the risk assessment
  • Practical application: Assess the risk in a sample building and rank the recommended actions
Day 3

Written Control Schemes and Hot and Cold Water Controls

  • Structure and content of a written control scheme
  • Water safety plans and water management programs
  • Temperature control regimes for hot and cold water
  • Thermostatic mixing valves, showers, and outlet management
  • Flushing programs for little-used and seasonal outlets
  • Biocide and alternative treatment options
  • Cleaning and disinfection of tanks, calorifiers, and pipework
  • Commissioning new installations and recommissioning after shutdown
  • Practical application: Draft a hot and cold water section of a written control scheme
Day 4

Cooling Towers, Evaporative Systems, and Sampling

  • Legionella risk factors in cooling towers and district-cooling plants
  • Water treatment: biocides, inhibitors, and blowdown control
  • Drift eliminators, tower design, and siting near air intakes
  • Routine inspection, cleaning, and disinfection of cooling towers
  • Start-up, shutdown, and standby procedures
  • Designing sampling plans: locations, frequency, and flush status
  • Sample handling, chain of custody, and laboratory selection
  • Interpreting Legionella counts, total viable counts, and residuals
  • Practical application: Review a cooling tower logbook and sampling results and decide the required actions
Day 5

Action Levels, Outbreak Response, and Governance

  • Action levels and escalation of out-of-specification results
  • Remedial cleaning, disinfection, and verification sampling
  • Responding to notifications from public health authorities
  • Outbreak roles, system isolation, and preservation of evidence
  • Communication with occupants, staff, and regulators
  • Managing water treatment contractors and service providers
  • Record keeping, audits, and key performance indicators
  • Management review and continual improvement
  • Final workshop: Manage a simulated Legionella outbreak from first notification to return to service
  • Final implementation exercise: Develop an action plan to strengthen Legionella risk management and governance in the participant's organization

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Doha · 13 – 17 Jun 2027 · Classroom

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CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
MuscatConfirmed
2 – 6 Nov 2026€5,300—
OnlineConfirmed
8 – 12 Nov 2026€1,700—
ParisConfirmed
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,700—
AbujaConfirmed
16 – 20 Nov 2026€5,100—
SalalahConfirmed
16 – 20 Nov 2026€5,300—
AccraConfirmed
23 – 27 Nov 2026€5,100€4,590until 2 Nov
AmmanConfirmed
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026€3,100€2,790until 9 Nov
AmsterdamConfirmed
7 – 11 Dec 2026€5,400€4,860until 16 Nov
BangkokConfirmed
7 – 11 Dec 2026€6,100€5,490until 16 Nov
BarcelonaConfirmed
14 – 18 Dec 2026€5,400€4,860until 23 Nov
BeirutConfirmed
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,000€3,600until 30 Nov
BerlinConfirmed
21 – 25 Dec 2026€5,800€5,220until 30 Nov
CairoConfirmed
27 – 31 Dec 2026€3,300€2,970until 7 Dec
Cape TownConfirmed
4 – 8 Jan 2027€5,100€4,590until 14 Dec
CasablancaConfirmed
4 – 8 Jan 2027€4,300€3,870until 14 Dec
DammamConfirmed
10 – 14 Jan 2027€4,200€3,780until 21 Dec
DohaConfirmed
17 – 21 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 28 Dec
DubaiConfirmed
24 – 28 Jan 2027€4,400€3,960until 4 Jan
ErbilConfirmed
24 – 28 Jan 2027€3,100€2,790until 4 Jan
IstanbulConfirmed
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,700€4,230until 11 Jan
JeddahConfirmed
7 – 11 Feb 2027€4,200€3,780until 18 Jan
KigaliConfirmed
8 – 12 Feb 2027€5,100€4,590until 18 Jan
Kuala LumpurConfirmed
15 – 19 Feb 2027€4,400€3,960until 25 Jan
LisbonConfirmed
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,400€4,860until 1 Feb
LondonConfirmed
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,600€5,040until 1 Feb
MadinahConfirmed
1 – 5 Mar 2027€4,200€3,780until 8 Feb
MadridConfirmed
8 – 12 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 15 Feb
MakkahConfirmed
8 – 12 Mar 2027€4,200€3,780until 15 Feb
ManamaConfirmed
15 – 19 Mar 2027€4,700€4,230until 22 Feb
MarbellaConfirmed
22 – 26 Mar 2027€5,400€4,860until 1 Mar
DohaConfirmed
13 – 17 Jun 2027€4,400€3,960until 24 May

Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

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