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Legionella Awareness Training

This CPD approved Legionnaires’ Disease (Legionella) training has been designed to help raise awareness of Legionnaires' disease by explaining how outbreaks might occur and highlighting water systems that have a potentially high risk of developing the legionella bacterium. By completing this legionella awareness training online course learners will understand how outbreaks occur, the implications of a legionella outbreak and much more.

This course was reviewed and updated in February 2025

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Course Overview

Format

  • Intermediate
  • 30 to 45 Minutes
  • Online Study
  • Self-Printed Certificate

Accreditation

  • 1 CPD Hour
  • CPD Certified

Course description

This course has been designed to help raise awareness of Legionnaires' disease by explaining how outbreaks might occur, and highlighting water systems that have a potentially high risk of developing the Legionella bacterium.

You may have heard about Legionnaires' disease or the Legionella bacterium, and it’s not something anyone wants to experience first-hand. On average there are approximately 200 to 250 reported cases of Legionnaires' disease each year in the UK, although many believe this total is generally underestimated. Contracting 'Legionella pneumophilia' bacteria can cause high fever and may become fatal in approximately 12% of cases. Learn more here.

This course was previously known as Awareness of Legionnaires' Disease and Legionnaires' Awareness.

To prevent people from developing this disease, we need to know what it is and how to prevent it coming into contact with us. This legionella training module explains how outbreaks might occur, including how to identify which water systems have a potentially high risk of developing the Legionnella bacterium. 

Anyone who works with or around water handling systems would benefit from taking this course. You’ll find out about the potential consequences of an outbreak and the symptoms associated with the disease. You'll also get information on the relevant legislation and requirements for compliance. 

Learn more about legionnaires' awareness by clicking here.

There were 604 confirmed cases of Legionnaires' disease in England and Wales in 2023, although many believe this total is generally underestimated. The disease is caused by the 'Legionella pneumophilia' bacteria and is an extremely serious form of Legionellosis, causing high fever and proving fatal in approximately 3% of cases.

In an attempt to help reduce these figures, this legionella training module has been developed by Virtual College working with partners Life Environmental Services. It has been designed to help raise awareness of Legionnaires' disease by explaining how outbreaks might occur, and highlighting water systems that have a potentially high risk of developing the Legionnella bacterium.

On completion of this legionella training, learners will have an increased understanding of Legionnaires' disease, including the potential consequences of an outbreak and the symptoms associated with the disease. The legionella training course also provides information on the relevant legislation and requirements for compliance.

On completion of this Legionnaires' Awareness course learners will be able to:

  • Recognise the implications of a Legionnaires' disease outbreak
  • Summarise how Legionnaires outbreaks can occur in water handling systems
  • Identify relevant legislation and the requirements for compliance
  • Recognise the role of water handling system owners
  • Recognise the role of water handling systems safety providers
  • Identify higher risk water handling system

Legionella Awareness Training Online Course Lesson Plan

Areas covered in this online legionella awareness training course include:

  • Introduction and Learning Outcomes
  • Legionella: Background, Risks and Symptoms
  • Preventative Action
  • Legal Responsibilities and Compliance
  • Case Studies and Best Practice

Accreditation

The content of this legionella training course has been independently certified as conforming to universally accepted Continuous Professional Development (CPD) guidelines.

By completing the course you will earn 1 CPD point.

Certification

On completion of this legionella awareness training course you will be able to download a CPD approved Virtual College certificate.

Your certificate will be available to download once you have completed the end of course assessment. There are 20 multiple choice questions, the pass mark is set at 80% but don't worry you can attempt the test as many times as is needed.

Duration

This legionella awareness training should take approximately 30 - 45 minutes to complete. The length of time taken depends entirely on how quickly you can study and absorb the legionella course material.

You can proceed as quickly or slowly as you like and your progress is automatically saved so you can complete the training at your convenience.

Target Audience

This legionella training online course is aimed primarily at those working with manufactured water handling systems, in an environment where water handling systems are used or in environments that have:

  • Plumbing
  • Swimming Pools
  • Hot Tubs
  • Water Tanks/Processing
  • Fountains
  • Sprinklers
  • Showers
  • Cooling Towers

Entry Requirements

There are no specific entry requirements for this legionella training online course.

You will learn

  • What legionella is and the health risks is poses, including those more at risk than others
  • The practical steps you can take to reduce the risk of legionella coming into contact with people. This includes a risk assessment
  • Who is responsible for which aspects of legionella prevention
  • Examples of legionella infection and prevention

Who is it for?

Roles including:

  • Those working with manufactured water handling systems or in an environment where water handling systems are used
  • These systems include plumbing, swimming pools, fountains, sprinklers, water tanks and cooling towers

Legionella Awareness FAQs

  • Do I need certification for legionella testing?

    A test certificate is not required. On completion of this legionella awareness training course you will be able to download a Virtual College certificate.

    Learn more about legionnaires' awareness by clicking here.

  • How long does legionella awareness training last?

    This legionella awareness training should take approximately 2-3 hours to complete. The length of time taken depends entirely on how quickly you can study and absorb the legionella course material. You can proceed as quickly or slowly as you like.

    Learn more here.

  • How often should you complete legionella awareness training?

    This course certificate has no expiry date because there is no formally recognised period of validity for any health and safety training or this type of course. The HSE recommends refresher training is carried out whenever it is felt necessary, or commonly every 3 years.

    Learn more here.

How the online courses work

  • Find a course

    To begin searching for your online training you can click on the course category section on our website and browse through all of our training categories.

    Alternatively if you already know the title of the training you’re looking for you can use the search bar located in the centre of the homepage and go directly to the course you want.

  • Buy the course

    When buying one of our courses, you will need to enter a valid email address which will be used to create your account with our Learning Management System – Enable – where you will take the training. We will also send your purchase receipt to this email address, and any additional courses purchased in future using the same email address will be added to your system account.

    Once you have purchased a course, you will be able to send this course to other people using your system account with Enable by entering the new learner’s email address so that they may access the training and set up their own system account with our Learning Management System.

    If you are not 100% satisfied with your course then we offer a 30-day, no hassle money-back guarantee. To request a refund, you should email our learner support team with your receipt stating why you would like to be reimbursed. You, or your learners, must not have completed the training in order to make a valid refund claim. Any claim made after the training has been completed will be invalidated.

  • Take the course

    This online course consists of a series of pages in which an instructor will talk learners through the lesson material. Pages may include supporting pictures, graphs, animation or extra sounds to help with the learning where appropriate. Some lessons will include challenges/quizzes to help learners stay engaged and interested in the material. Lessons can be taken in any order and each lesson may be paused and resumed at any stage.

    The course is self-paced so learners decide how fast or slow the training goes. There is no deadline for completion but some of our courses have a test at the end to check that learners have understood the material. If the course has a test at the end then learners are required to achieve a 75% pass mark to successfully complete the course. Once learners have passed the test they are awarded a certificate, which can either be downloaded digitally or sent as a physical copy if this option was chosen when purchasing the course.

  • Your Certificate

    Upon completion of any of our courses, learners will be able to download a digital certificate from Virtual College which will include the accrediting bodies logo where applicable, the learner's name, the title of the course and the date of completion.

    If you have purchased the posted certificate option, available on selected courses, a high quality, seal embossed, certificate will be sent out the following working week after completion.