Every restaurant, café, pub, takeaway and hotel kitchen in the UK needs a Legionella risk assessment. Busy kitchens run hot and cold water systems full of spray taps, glass washers, ice machines and outlets that sit unused for hours, which is exactly the mix Legionella bacteria need. As water treatment specialists working in commercial kitchens and hospitality sites, Sovereign Water carries out Legionella risk assessments for food outlets and helps operators put the controls in place without disrupting service.
This guide covers what the law expects of a food business, where Legionella hides in a kitchen and front of house, the temperatures and checks HSE sets out, and what records you need to keep. For the wider picture across all types of premises, see our UK guide to Legionella risk assessments and L8.
TL;DR
- Employers and anyone in control of premises must identify, assess and control Legionella risks. For food outlets this falls under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and COSHH, with HSE's Approved Code of Practice L8 setting out how.
- Legionella grows in water between 20°C and 45°C, so warm, stagnant water, dead legs and rarely used outlets are the main risks.
- Kitchens add extra risk from spray taps, glass washers, ice machines, beverage lines and combination ovens.
- HSE's core controls are hot water stored at 60°C or above, cold water below 20°C, weekly flushing of little-used outlets and monthly temperature checks.
- Businesses with 5 or more employees must record the significant findings of the assessment.
What Is a Legionella Risk Assessment for a Food Outlet?
A Legionella risk assessment is a structured review of every part of your premises that stores, heats, moves or releases water. It identifies where Legionella could grow and spread, who could be exposed, and the control measures needed to manage the risk. For a food outlet, it runs from the cold water tank and water heater through to the spray tap at the wash-up station and the ice machine behind the bar.
Legionella bacteria are common in natural water such as rivers and ponds. The problem starts when they reach a building's water system and find the warmth, stagnation and nutrients they need to multiply. People catch Legionnaires' disease, a serious form of pneumonia, by breathing in small droplets of water that contain the bacteria. It is not known to spread from person to person.
A competent assessor traces the pipework, measures temperatures at the tank and at outlets, looks for scale, sludge and biofilm, and asks how often each outlet is actually used. The result is a written assessment and a control scheme, not a tick-box certificate. HSE notes that a simple assessment may show the risks are low and already well managed, and that is a valid outcome too.
Why Food Outlets Carry a Higher Legionella Risk
Food outlets tend to have more complex and more variable water systems than a typical office. A restaurant or hotel combines high-demand peaks with quiet periods, many hot and cold outlets, and equipment that both heats water and creates sprays. Seasonal trading, split shifts and partial closures make it worse by leaving water to sit.
A typical site has wash-up areas with pre-rinse spray taps, glass washers and dishwashers, hand basins that may go unused for hours, ice machines, coffee and beverage equipment fed from the mains, and combination ovens that inject steam. Staff showers, outside taps, function rooms and rarely used cloakroom taps add further spots where water sits warm and still. This is why a generic assessment written for an office rarely fits a kitchen.
Your customers matter here too. HSE says the risk of Legionnaires' disease rises with age and is higher for people over 45, smokers and heavy drinkers, and people with diabetes, chronic lung, heart or kidney disease, or a weakened immune system. A hotel restaurant or a busy café will serve many of them every day.
"People contract Legionnaires' disease by inhaling small droplets of water (aerosols)" containing the bacteria. Source: Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
Your Legal Duties as a Food Business
If you are an employer, or you are in control of premises, you have a legal duty to identify and assess sources of Legionella risk, prevent or control them, and keep the right records. HSE places these duties under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH).
HSE's Approved Code of Practice L8 (fourth edition, 2013) and its technical guidance HSG274 explain how to meet those duties in practice. Following L8 is the recognised way to show you are managing the risk. If you take a different approach, you need to be able to show it is just as effective.
You also need to appoint someone competent to help you meet these duties. HSE describes this as a person with enough authority, skills, knowledge of the system and experience. It can be you, a member of staff, or an outside specialist. If a contractor does the work, the responsibility for making sure it meets the standard stays with you. A British Standard for Legionella risk assessment, BS 8580-1, sets out how a good assessment should be carried out.
For most restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels, health and safety law is enforced by the local council's environmental health team rather than HSE inspectors.
Where Legionella Hides in a Food Outlet
Legionella hides wherever water sits warm and still. In a food outlet the usual culprits are dead legs, little-used outlets, oversized or poorly insulated storage, and equipment that holds water at warm temperatures. Mapping these is the core purpose of the assessment, because you cannot control a risk you have not found.
Dead legs and redundant pipework
A dead leg is a section of pipe where water cannot flow freely, often left behind when equipment is removed or a kitchen is refitted. Water stagnates there, warms to room temperature and becomes an ideal breeding ground. Any food outlet that has changed its layout should have its pipework re-checked and redundant runs cut back.
Infrequently used outlets
Cloakroom taps, staff showers, outside taps and seasonal bars can go unused for days. Without regular flushing, the water in those branches stagnates. HSE recommends weekly flushing of little-used outlets, and it is one of the cheapest and most effective controls there is.
Equipment that sprays or stores water
Pre-rinse spray taps, glass washers, ice machines, combination ovens, coffee and beverage systems, and water heaters all connect to the water system. Some store water at warm temperatures, others create sprays and mist. They belong in the assessment and on a planned service schedule, not treated as separate from the plumbing. Our guides to water quality in commercial kitchens and ice machine filtration cover the equipment side in more detail.
The Temperatures and Checks That Matter
Temperature is the most important control for Legionella. The bacteria grow between 20°C and 45°C, so the aim is to keep hot water hot, cold water cold, and water moving. HSE sets out the following routine checks for hot and cold water systems.
| Check | HSE guidance | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Hot water storage | Stored at 60°C or above | At all times |
| Hot water at outlets | At least 50°C within 1 minute of running | Monthly, at sentinel outlets |
| Cold water at outlets | Below 20°C after running for 2 minutes | Monthly, at sentinel outlets |
| Little-used outlets | Flushed through | Weekly |
| Showerheads and hoses | Dismantled, cleaned and descaled | Quarterly, or as the risk assessment sets |
| Cold water storage tank | Inspected to make sure it stays clean | At least annually |
| Cold water at the tank inlet | Temperature checked at the ball valve outlet | Every 6 months |
| Thermostatic mixing valves | Checked and findings recorded | Monthly |
Source: HSE, hot and cold water systems: things to consider. Sentinel outlets are the nearest and furthest taps on each part of the system.
Where very hot water at the tap is a scalding risk, for example at customer hand basins, thermostatic mixing valves are fitted close to the outlet instead of lowering the stored temperature. HSE advises keeping the pipe run after a mixing valve short, at no more than 2 metres.
Records You Need to Keep
Under L8 you need to be able to show your controls are working, not just say so. HSE's record rules are clear.
| Record | What HSE says |
|---|---|
| Who is involved | Who carried out the risk assessment, and who manages and runs the written control scheme |
| Findings | If you have 5 or more employees, you must record the significant findings of the assessment |
| Control scheme | The written scheme and how it has been put into practice |
| System status | Whether the water system is in use or out of use |
| Monitoring results | Results and dates of every check, inspection and test, kept for at least 5 years |
| Other records | Kept while current, then for at least 2 years after |
Source: HSE, keeping records.
The simplest way to stay on top of this is to build Legionella checks into the routines you already run, such as your HACCP (food safety plan) and planned maintenance, so they are not forgotten during a busy week. HSE says the assessment should be reviewed regularly, and it should always be looked at again after a refit, new equipment, a change in opening pattern or a period of closure. Our water treatment maintenance schedule shows how the checks fit alongside filter changes and equipment servicing.
How Sovereign Water Supports Food Outlets
Sovereign Water carries out Legionella risk assessments for restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels, and supports the whole water system around them. That puts Legionella control in context, alongside water quality and equipment protection, rather than treating it as a separate task.
We start with a site survey of your premises, then deliver the written risk assessment and a practical control scheme for your team. From there we can advise on cutting back dead legs, fit and maintain the right treatment and filtration for your beverage, ice and steam equipment, and keep everything scheduled and recorded through our Comprehensive Maintenance programme. Multi-site operators can bring every location under one arrangement and one set of records.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a small café need a Legionella risk assessment?
Yes. Any employer or person in control of premises must assess the Legionella risk, whatever the size of the business. If you have fewer than 5 employees you do not have to write the findings down, but HSE says a written record is still useful.
Who can carry out a Legionella risk assessment for a restaurant?
You must appoint someone competent, with enough knowledge of the system, skills and experience. That can be you or a member of staff, but many food businesses use a specialist because kitchen equipment adds risks a general assessment can miss.
How often should a food outlet review its assessment?
HSE says to review it regularly. You should also review it after a refit, when equipment is added or removed, when opening patterns change, or after the site has been closed for a period.
What water temperatures control Legionella?
Legionella grows between 20°C and 45°C. HSE guidance is to store hot water at 60°C or above, reach at least 50°C at the tap within 1 minute, and keep cold water below 20°C after 2 minutes of running.
Which kitchen equipment should the assessment include?
Anything connected to the water system that stores water or creates spray: pre-rinse spray taps, glass washers, dishwashers, ice machines, coffee and beverage equipment, combination ovens and water heaters.
Who enforces Legionella rules in a restaurant?
For most restaurants, cafés, pubs and hotels, health and safety law is enforced by the local council's environmental health team.
Ready to Get Your Food Outlet Assessed?
Sovereign Water carries out Legionella risk assessments for UK food outlets and keeps the controls running through planned maintenance, with clear records for inspectors and insurers. Talk to Our Team.
Sources
- HSE: What is Legionnaires' disease?
- HSE: Legionnaires' disease, what you must do
- HSE: Keeping records
- HSE: Hot and cold water systems, things to consider
- HSE: Approved Code of Practice L8
- HSE: HSG274 technical guidance
