Legionella Risk Assessments for Hotels, B&Bs and Holiday Lets in Galway

Guest accommodation has everything legionella needs: a shower in every room, stored hot water, and rooms that sit empty between bookings. In Galway, where many properties are busy in summer and quiet in winter, the risk rises and falls with the season. A legionella risk assessment gives you a plan for both.

Your duty

Employers have a duty to assess and control risks to health under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, and legionella is covered by the Biological Agents Regulations 2013. The Health and Safety Authority asks employers to carry out a written legionella risk assessment, record the findings and review it. National guidelines from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre recommend a review at least once a year.

Where the risk is in guest accommodation

• Unoccupied rooms: a room empty for a week has a shower full of standing water.
• Closed wings and floors: shut for the winter but still connected.
• Spa pools and hot tubs: warm, aerated water that needs its own daily controls.
• Long hot water circuits: the furthest rooms get the coolest water.
• Shower heads and hoses: scale and biofilm build up inside them.
• Outdoor taps, water features and irrigation.

What the assessment covers

1. Storage tanks, water heaters and hot water circulation.
2. Temperatures in rooms nearest to and furthest from the plant.
3. Room occupancy patterns and a flushing plan for empty rooms.
4. Spa, pool and leisure facilities.
5. Dead legs from past refurbishments.
6. Records, responsibilities and staff awareness.

A seasonal plan

• In season: housekeeping runs the shower and taps in any room empty for several days, and records it.
• Closing down: decide whether to keep flushing through the winter or to recommission in spring.
• Reopening: flush, check temperatures, clean shower heads and consider sampling before guests return. Our reopening checklist sets out the steps.

Small properties count too

A B&B or holiday let has a simpler system, but the same bacteria. If you employ staff, health and safety law applies. Either way, a short assessment and a simple flushing routine protect your guests and your reputation.

One visit for water and fire

See also fire risk assessments for hotels and guesthouses in Galway.

Safer Solutions provides legionella risk assessments and sampling in Galway for hotels, B&Bs and holiday accommodation across the city and county. Call 086 275 9728, email info@safersolutions.ie or request a quote.