Does the responsible person need a qualification?

There is no single required qualification. They must be competent for the system they manage. Training in legionella control for responsible persons is the usual route.

Can a contractor be our responsible person?

A contractor can do much of the work. The duty holder keeps the legal duty. Someone in your organisation should still oversee the arrangements.

How many responsible persons do we need?

One per site is usual with a named deputy. Large estates may have one person with site leads beneath them.

Legionella Responsible Person: What the Role Involves

By the Germ3 Water team. Updated 20 October 2026.

Duty holder and responsible person

The duty holder is the employer or the person in control of the premises. The legal duty to control the legionella risk sits with them.

HSE's Approved Code of Practice L8 says the duty holder should appoint a responsible person. That person manages the control scheme day to day. In a small business the duty holder and the responsible person may be the same person.

Who it should be

The responsible person needs the authority to get things done. They need enough knowledge to understand the risk and the scheme. In most buildings that means a facilities manager or site manager or someone senior on site.

Choose someone who is on site often enough to notice when things change. Name a deputy to cover holidays and absence.

What they do

Make sure the written scheme is followed.
Make sure checks happen on time and are recorded.
Act on results that are out of range.
Manage the contractors who do engineer work.
Keep the records together and up to date.
Flag changes to the building that mean the assessment needs reviewing.

What they need to know

The responsible person must be competent. That means having the right training and knowledge for your system. A short course in legionella awareness for responsible persons is a good start. They should know how your system is laid out and what the scheme asks of them.

You can use a contractor but the duty stays with you

Many sites bring in a contractor to do the checks and the engineer work. That is fine. But the duty holder still carries the legal duty. Someone on your side should still oversee the contractor and read the reports.

Signs the role is not working

Nobody can say who the responsible person is.
The logbook has gaps of weeks or months.
Out of range readings with no action recorded.
The risk assessment predates the last refit.

If any of those sound familiar it is time to review your arrangements.

The legionella responsible person: what the role involves