Improving Water Safety Compliance in Large, Complex & Multi-Site Facilities
Do you have responsibility for workplace legionella and water safety? If you do then you’ll recognise that compliance with the plethora of rules, regulations, guidance and best practice is becoming ever more onerous and complex.
Add to this scenario the management of large or multi-site property assets, complex facilities or those considered higher risk and things become even more complicated, increasing opportunities for errors and incidents that could leave everyone involved exposed.
A version of this story dealing with legionella and water safety issues in large, complex and multi-site facilities appeared in Legionella Control International’s newsletter. To get it in your inbox, sign up for free here.
Is there a solution to managing complex legionella compliance issues?
One increasingly popular (and successful) solution to this problem has been pioneered by the UK’s NHS and involves the creation of a small team of specialists guided by an independent water safety expert called an “Authorising Engineer” for water. This team, referred to as a “Water Safety Group” takes responsibility for the identification and assessment of water-related hazards, the development of regular monitoring and control measures to minimise the risks, and the creation of suitable incident protocols. It has proven to be highly effective delivering lots of important benefits — improving safety and regulatory compliance, and reducing incidents and risk at all levels.
The Water Safety Group… a tried and tested approach
This approach to legionella and water safety is now well established in the UK’s healthcare sector. However, it’s worthy of note that a Water Safety Group, supported by an independent and experienced Authorising Engineer is now recognised as being able to deliver significant safety and compliance benefits to organisations well beyond the healthcare sector, especially in situations where there are lots of properties under management, those involving more complex buildings or those considered to be higher risk.
How Legionella Control International can help
Legionella Control International are experienced in the role of the Authorising Engineer (Water), advising the NHS at a national level, and can assist organisations across all sectors in the development of safety management teams, policies, and procedures to safeguard staff, clients and others.
If you have questions or you would like to speak with one of our Authorising Engineer (Water) specialists please call us today on 0330 223 36 87.