Spain · National · Royal Decree

Royal Decree 487/2022: Legionella and protection of exposed workers

In force as amended; occupational application of a public-health rule

Official Spanish title: Real Decreto 487/2022, de 21 de junio, por el que se establecen los requisitos sanitarios para la prevención y el control de la legionelosis.

On this page
  1. What it regulates
  2. Who it applies to
  3. Key provisions
  4. History and versions
  5. Transitional provisions and application notes
  6. Official BOE legal relationships
  7. Official sources
  8. Explore the concepts in Sabentis Explore

What it regulates

Regulates Legionella prevention and control in installations capable of exposing people. Section 4 expressly refers to the LPRL and protection against biological and chemical agents. This entry addresses staff operating, maintaining, checking, cleaning or disinfecting these installations and the controls needed to limit their exposure.

Who it applies to

OSH selection: prevention duties, installation-holder and contractor responsibilities, task-related plans, treatment safety, training and relevant transitions. Public-health plans do not replace occupational risk assessment. This entry does not reproduce all epidemiological surveillance, penalties or health-reporting arrangements without a direct link to this selection.

Key provisions

The LPRL, Prevention Services Regulation and, in particular, Royal Decrees 664/1997 and 374/2001 apply. Biological aerosol risks and chemical treatment risks must be assessed within occupational prevention.

Article 4

Outsourcing must document the tasks and does not remove the holder’s responsibility to ensure installations do not endanger public health. Since the 2024 amendment, where operator and owner differ, the operator is responsible unless responsibility of the owner is reliably established. This does not replace each party’s occupational safety duties.

Article 5

The PPCL must identify the installation, aerosol-emission points, maintenance, treatment, sampling and training suited to tasks and functions. Documentation must be available to maintenance staff and contracted services; records are kept for at least five years.

Article 8

The PSL is based on risk assessment, critical points, controls and verification. Where it is chosen, the PPCL must remain until the PSL is designed, planned and validated with evidence demonstrating effectiveness.

Article 9

Physical systems must not create risks for operators or other exposed people. The 2024 amendment specifies manufacturer safety and efficacy documentation. Substances and mixtures used must comply with REACH and CLP and must not endanger those applying them.

Article 17

Training must match the role. Minor operations, technical responsibility and treatment application have different requirements; a single course must not be assumed necessary or sufficient for everyone. Treatment personnel are linked to qualification SEA492_2 or certification of the corresponding competence units, subject to transitional provision three.

Article 18

The programme must allocate tasks to in-house and external staff, identify responsibilities and describe cleaning and disinfection procedures, products, doses and precautions. These organisation and safe-work rules are selected, rather than every health parameter in the annex.

Annex IV

History and versions

BOE publication: 22/06/2022 · Initial entry into force: 02/01/2023

BOE-A-2022-10297

Royal Decree 3/2023 added health-reporting paragraphs to section 11, subsequently corrected; these remain contextual and outside the selected occupational amendment pairs. The correction of 11 February 2023 affects, among other matters, section 17.2. Royal Decree 614/2024 revised responsibilities, sampling, treatments and annexes and added transitions. Tables distinguish amendments affecting selected OSH portions from other changes to the same section or annex.

Royal Decree 3/2023: adds paragraphs to section 11; health reporting outside the selected occupational table.

Publication: 11/01/2023 · Effective date: 12/01/2023

BOE-A-2023-628

Correction of 11 February 2023, including section 17.2 on substances and mixtures.

BOE-A-2023-3619

Correction of 14 February 2023 to Royal Decree 3/2023; health-reporting context.

BOE-A-2023-3843

Royal Decree 614/2024: amendment published on 3 July 2024 and effective from 4 July 2024; plan updates before 1 July 2025 and sampling-accreditation transition until 1 January 2030.

Publication: 03/07/2024 · Effective date: 04/07/2024

BOE-A-2024-13422
Text versions of the selected OSH provisions

The table includes only versions that introduce or amend the selected OSH subsections. Full article versions changing only other subjects remain in the official sources but are not shown as preventive reforms.

Functions and provisions connected to occupational safety and health are selected; other subjects remain available in the official sources.

Transitional provisions and application notes

  • Published on 22 June 2022 and effective from 2 January 2023, when it replaced Royal Decree 865/2003. Initial plan updating was due after one year; the additional 2024 update was required before 1 July 2025. Both milestones precede this entry’s review date.

    Final provision third
  • The transition for course-completion certificates and staff qualification runs for five years from commencement, subject to conditions and possible regional measures. It is neither a training exemption nor an indefinite extension; each person’s role and status must be checked.

    Transitional provision third
  • Accreditation of the sampling entity or business under section 11.5 has a transition until 1 January 2030. Annex VI sampling rules remain mandatory during that period. This must not be confused with the separate deadline for laboratory-method accreditation.

    Transitional provision sixth
  • Biocides must be used under their authorisation and application conditions. Health-related training and the PPCL/PSL do not replace chemical-agent protection, safety instructions or coordination between employers.

    Article 16

Official BOE legal relationships

This record covers the history of the selected occupational safety and health provisions. The official analysis also provides the relationships affecting other subjects in the legislation.

Official BOE legal relationships

Official sources

Official sources checked on 14/11/2026. Updating a database record does not by itself mean that the legislation has been amended.

  1. BOE-A-2022-10297
  2. BOE-A-2022-10297
  3. ELI identifier
  4. BOE-A-2023-3619
  5. BOE-A-2023-3843
  6. BOE-A-2023-628
  7. BOE-A-2024-13422

Official sources checked on 14 November 2026. The original publication and subsequent provisions determine the legal scope; consolidation, where available, is informative. The editorial history focuses on OSH-relevant relationships and does not replace the sources.

Sabentis editorial translation; it is not an official translation and does not replace the official text.

Editorial information

Publication date: 14 November 2026.

Editorial responsibility: Sabentis editorial team.

Editorial review by Pablo RodríguezLinkedIn

Executive Vice President of the International ORP Foundation and Chief Financial Officer of Sabentis.

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