Keeping your water system safe’ In The Workplace

Over the last 5 months, we have been educating our people and customers on various topics to help them stay safe. We took extra steps during customer visits and published articles on how to keep vending machines clean, new technology that reduces contact with coffee machines and the safest cups for workplaces.

In this quick guide we will outline some simple steps to take to combat legionnaire’s in the workplace. Legionnaires’ disease is a lung infection you can catch by inhaling droplets of water from things like air conditioning or hot tubs. It’s uncommon but can be very serious

If you have hot and cold water system in your workplace, like water dispensers and coffee machines with a water tank, here are some steps to take to reduce the risk of legionella.

Temperature Control

According to the Health and Safety Executive, Temperature control is the traditional strategy for reducing the risk of legionella in hot and cold water systems.

For cold water systems, they should ideally be maintained at a temperature below 20°C. Hot water should be stored at least at 60°C and distributed so that it reaches a temperature of 50°C (55°C in healthcare premises) within one minute at the outlets.

The HSE also advices regular cleaning of your water systems. Legionella bacteria are more likely to grow in a system fouled with deposits. View the HSE guide here for more information on cleaning and disinfecting water systems. If you are low on time or need assistance, contact our friendly team to discuss how our technical or fully managed services can help keep your business safe. Our operators and Engineers are fully trained in Health & Hygiene requirements with masks, gloves and disinfectant gels where required. We clean and sanitise the equipment with approved special detergent and sanitiser at each visit and ensure the full sanitisation of our warehouses and vehicles.

For more guidance on combatting legionnaires’ in the workplace, the Health and Safety Executive have published a full guide for employers. View it here.

If any of your machines have been switched off for a long period of time, contact us today and we can discuss re-commissioning the machines before further use.