Water System Safety

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Water System Safety Awareness for Premise Managers
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Management of Water System Safety

• In line with Health Safety Regulations, The
  Council have put in place measures to reduce the
  risk from
• Exposure to Legionella bacteria.
• Scalding through contact with excessively hot
  water.
• This has been achieved partially by risk
  assessing your property and providing the Record
  Systems Manual (RSM) for you.

3
Key Legal Requirements

• There is a general duty of care under the Health
  and Safety at Work Act to provide a safe work
  environment.
• The COSHH Regulations require employers to
  prevent or adequately control exposure of persons
  to hazardous substances including legionella
  bacteria. In response to this the Health and
  Safety Executive published the Approved Code of
  Practice (ACOP) L8 Legionnaires Disease The
  Control of Legionella Bacteria in Water Systems
• L8 contains the regulations and provides the
  guidance required to comply with them.

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Approved Code of Practice

• The approve code of practice that the council
  must comply with (L8)
• requires the responsible person to -
• Implement and manage the scheme of
• precautions
• Keep records of the precautions implemented.
• All work activities that produce a water aerosol
  or risk of
• scalding must be subject to a risk assessment.

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What is Legionella ?

• Legionella bacteria are common and occur
  naturally, usually in small
• numbers in both natural water systems such as
  lakes, streams and mud
• and in man-made hot and cold water systems.
• The bacteria can survive at very low temperatures
  and multiply between
• 20?C and 45?C.
• Above this they begin to die off.
• Therefore temperature is the main method used for
  their control in domestic water systems.

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What are the Symptoms?

• Many forms of Legionellosis have very mild
  symptoms and are
• often mistaken for Flu or the common cold.
• These include
• high fever
• Chills
• Headache, and,
• severe muscular ache.
• In the case of Legionnaires Disease, this is
  followed by a dry
• cough and difficulty with breathing.

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Who are Most at Risk?

• Anyone can get infected, however certain groups
  of people are
• more susceptible
• The elderly and infirm.
• Smokers and alcoholics.
• Those suffering from cancer, diabetes, chronic
  respiratory disease or kidney disease.

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How is the illness diagnosed and treated?

• Because it is similar to flu it is not always
  easy to diagnose. A
• blood test should help decide whether or not it
  is legionnaires
• disease.
• Treatment is the use of antibiotics.
• Employers must report cases of legionnaires
• disease to the HSE. This will be undertaken by
  the Strategic Health and Safety Service.

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How are People Infected?

• Infection is caused by breathing tiny airborne
  droplets of water contaminated by the bacteria.
• Any water application that causes the release of
  contaminated aerosols into the surrounding area
  can transmit Legionella bacteria.
• The bacteria have been proved to be transmitted
  by-
• wet air conditioning plant
• cooling towers
• evaporative condensers
• Showers taps
• humidifiers which create a spray of water droplet
• decorative fountains
• whirlpool baths, hydrotherapy baths, etc.

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Conditions Favourable to Legionella

• For growth of the bacteria it requires
• Water temperature between 20?C and 45?C
• A food source such as sediment, sludge, scale and
  organic materials
• Somewhere to live, a slow moving water source
  such as a low use tank, calorifier or a deadleg
  is ideal as it gives the bacteria time to
  multiply.

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Controlling Legionella

• Small numbers of bacteria will probably be
  present in most
• water systems.
• Complete eradication is extremely difficult to
  achieve, so
• control measures are used to
• prevent multiplication of the bacteria within the
  water system.
• reduce the creation of, or exposure to, water
  droplets and aerosols.

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Controlling Legionella

• This can be achieved by
• Keeping water stored hot water above 60?C,
  transporting it at above 50 ?C and keep other
  water below 20 ?C.
• Keeping the system clean.
• Keeping water on the move i.e. do not store
  excessive amounts of water.
• Flush or remove any outlets that are infrequently
  used.
• Remove any deadlegs from the system.
• It is important to keep records of all monitoring
  and remedial
• works carried out in order to control a system
  effectively
• and prove your actions if requested by the Health
  and
• Safety Executive.

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The Conflict of Interest
In order to control the growth and multiplication
of Legionella bacteria, it is necessary to raise
hot water temperatures to a level which
significantly increases the risk of scalding.
In order to address this increased risk it is
necessary to implement precautionary measures to
hot water outlets.
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The Risk of Scalding

• Scalding may occur in many situations in all
  types of buildings
• and applications, the degree of potential
  scalding depends on
• the water temperature, contact time,
  susceptibility of individual
• and the volume of water delivered.

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Who is most at risk of scalding ?

• The risk of burns and scalding is higher with
  regard to older
• people, people with mental illness or learning
  disabilities,
• children, anyone with reduced sensitivity to
  temperature and
• people with disabilities (who may not be able to
  recognise high
• temperatures or respond appropriately or
  quickly).
• Fatal accidents have occurred in the case of
  whole-body
• immersion of vulnerable people in baths and
  showers.
• Although susceptibility varies from person to
  person, it is
• generally accepted that the risk of scalding is
  significantly
• increased at temperatures in excess of 45? C.

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Controlling Risk of Scalding

• The water hygiene risk assessment will contain
  recommendations on
• the measures necessary to prevent the risk of
  scalding. Premise
• managers should now put in place those control
  measures.
• Which could include either
• Fit Thermostatic Mixing Valves (TMVs)
• or
• Fix warning notices

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Council Arrangements

• The Councils Water System Safety Policy and
  arrangements
• are available on the Corporate and Directorate
  Health and
• Safety Intranet sites. In some areas they are
  contained in your
• hardcopy Health and Safety Manual.
• A copy of the policy is contained within the
  Water Hygiene
• Record System Manual for ease of reference.

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Council Arrangements

• Water Hygiene consultants appointed by
• Property Risk Management Team have
• undertaken an initial risk assessment
• of the premises water systems and will
• arrange for the risk assessment to be
• reviewed every two years.
• It may also be necessary to carry out
• adhoc risk assessment reviews at other
• times, for example following major
• refurbishment works or changes of use to
• the building.

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Water Hygiene Record System Manual

• You have been provided with a record system
  manual, that will
• require you to do the following
• Confirm the name of the responsible person, the
  duties and any tasks delegated to other personnel
  under their control.
• Record all inspections and work undertaken by
  contractors or site personnel on the water
  systems.
• The manual must be retained for the life of the
  building. All water
• hygiene consultant inspection reports and records
  must be filed
• in the appropriate section of the manual and be
  retained for at
• least 5 years.

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Servicing and Testing - Water Hygiene Consultants

• Appointed consultants carry out inspections every
  six months and report the condition of water
  systems at individual premises.
• During each visit they will inspect water
  systems, measure temperatures at various
  locations and may take a number of water samples.
  
• A written report will be submitted and the
  premises manager must ensure that recommendations
  are properly implemented and the reports filed in
  the appropriate section of the manual for future
  reference.

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When Legionella Bacteria is detected

• When a positive count of Legionella bacteria is
  detected by the Water
• Hygiene Consultant
• Property Risk Management Team will arrange for
  appropriate action to be taken.
• A D1 Notice will be issued to the Premise Manager
  outlining action required.
• The responsible person/premises manager must
  arrange for adequate control measures to be in
  place during this period e.g. closure of certain
  areas, removal of spray outlets. The Strategic
  Health and Safety Service can offer advice and
  support.

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Premise Managers Responsibilities

• To be familiar with their responsibilities as
  detailed in the Water System Safety Policy.
• Identified who will do the necessary work
  required in the Water System Safety Policy
• Persons carrying out work (e.g. testing,
  monitoring or repair) on the water system are
  aware of the contents of the Water Hygiene Record
  System Manual RSM.
• A copy of the Water Hygiene Record System Manual
  (RSM) and any survey reports are available for
  access at any time.

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Premise Managers Responsibilities

• Risk Assessments are carried out as required.
• Adequate arrangements are in place to prevent
  employees or other persons being exposed to
  Legionella or excessive water temperatures.
• Any modifications or repairs to the water systems
  are carried out by a competent person and are in
  compliance with the water regulations.

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Water Temperature Monitoring

• The Premises Manager must have a suitable
  thermometer in order to carry out hot and cold
  water checks. An example of the type of
  thermometer required is given in the Water System
  Safety Policy.
• Temperature checks should be carried out in
  accordance with the water system safety policy
  and include tests at sentinel outlets.
• All tests, inspections and works must be recorded
  in the relevant section of the RSM.

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Water Temperature Monitoring - Taps

• What is a sentinel tap?
• Sentinel taps are the first and last in a system
  i.e. the nearest and furthest from a tank
  calorifier or water heater.
• Some water heaters may only have one outlet in
  which case it is both the nearest and furthest
  point.

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Water Temperature Monitoring - Taps

• Sentinel outlets where a Thermostatic
• Mixing Valve (TMV) is fitted
• To test the temperature of a piece of pipework
  the surface probe needs to make a good contact on
  a clean piece of pipe free from insulation and
  paint.

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Water Temperature Monitoring - Taps

• Outlet Temperature
• To check outlet temperatures simply hold the
  immersion probe under the stream of water.

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Water Temperature Monitoring - Identifying Pipes
on a Calorifier

• The outlet and inlet pipework
• The outlet pipe is normally copper and located at
  the top of the calorifier. and may have a red
  coloured ring where it enters the calorifier on
  newer models.
• The return is also usually copper, smaller than
  the outlet and in the top 1/3 of the calorifier,
  although it may be lower down or join the cold
  supply.

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Water Temperature Monitoring Calorifier
identifying the pipe work you need
The cold supply is usually copper and enters the
calorifier at the base. Any galvanised ( with
threaded joints) pipework to the calorifier. Any
galvanised (with threaded joints) pipework A
small run of copper pipework from the top to
bottom of the calorifier with a pump fitted is
part of the destratification loop. This is
normally only found on larger calorifiers and the
pump should only be set to run for one hour per
day out of normal usage hours
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Recording Temperatures

• Calorifier Outlet Temperature.
• Even if a temperature gauge is fitted, they are
  not normally reliably accurate.
• To test the temperature hold the surface probe
  against the outlet pipe and wait for the reading
  to settle.
• The outlet pipe is usually at the top of the
  calorifier and may have a red coloured ring where
  it enters the calorifier on newer models.

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Recording Temperatures

• Calorifier Return Temperature.
• If a recirculation loop is fitted (this should be
  stated in the risk assessment) the temperature
  needs to be tested monthly.
• To test the temperature hold the surface probe
  against the return pipe and wait for the reading
  to settle. The return pipe should be in the top
  third of the calorifier and will often have a
  circulation pump fitted within a few metres of
  the calorifier.
• When locating a suitable point to measure the
  temperature do not place the probe too close to
  the circulation pump or the calorifier otherwise
  a true reading will not be obtained.

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Testing Schedules

• The following testing and checking must be
• carried out weekly
• Flushing of little used outlets (such as rarely
  used sinks) and recording that this action has
  been taken.

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Testing Schedules

• The following testing and checking must
• be carried out monthly
• Tank fed cold water system temperature checks.
• Hot Water System Temperature Checks for Scalding
  prevention.
• Hot Water System Temperature Checks for
  Legionella prevention.

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Testing Schedules

• The following testing and checking
• must be carried out quarterly
• Shower Head/Spray Tap descaling and disinfecting.

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Results of Temperature Checks

• Any temperatures that are measured that are not
  in the required range must be noted in the Record
  System Manual (RSM) and action taken to rectify
  the problem.
• If TMV outlet temperatures are out of
  specification, the service contractor should be
  contacted to recalibrate them free of charge.
• All remedial works must be recorded in the RSM.

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Questions or Need for Further Information

• Contact Details
• Strategic Health and Safety Service
• Tel [phone]
• Email strategichealthsafety_at_staffordshire.gov.u
  k