In the climate of the COVID-19 pandemic, hand washing has been one of the key safety factors in fighting the virus. “But what about the water itself?” asked TWO Facilities Management director Tomek Olesinski. “In the clinical environment, and especially where the clinics can now be mobile, water quality plays an important role in the chain of clinical processes.” In mobile units delivering imaging or screening services there is usually a hand wash basin where hot and cold water is supplied from an external feed or from a cold water tank onboard the unit. There may also be a kitchenette, a toilet or a shower.
Regular monitoring of the water quality gives crucial data on possible changes in water quality. “If this is the case, the remedial actions stemming from HTM 04-01 regulations for healthcare environments will be very helpful,” stated Olesinski. “I am happy to assist our clients in making sure that the water systems in their mobile clinics are checked, tested and – when considered necessary – cleaned.”
As a provider of support consultancy services in the area of facilities management, TWO FM works on different diagnostic modalities to ensure that statutory water management tasks are in place to comply with relevant health and safety guide notes covering water hygiene. The company is a member of the Legionella Control Association.
Water supplied to mobile clinical units may come from various sources depending on where they are located and for how long. When the units are not being clinically used, water stored in a tank can stagnate if no suitable maintenance processes are in place to reduce the risk of deterioration of its quality.
Similarly, water installation components such as pipework, taps with thermostatic mixer valves, strainers and expansion vessels for hot water heaters should be included in the maintenance regime. This can ensure that potential risks stemming from the impurities that can be found in water installation are managed.
“It is easy to get used to a ‘normal’ colour of water coming from a tap, not knowing if it is biologically safe,” added Olesinski. “I refer here to well-known aquatic pathogenic organisms that can be found in water like Legionella, Pseudomonas or even E-coli.
“The presence of these bacteria is not reserved to what we would understand to be the ‘usual environments’ such as water systems in buildings or swimming baths, cooling systems etc; they may be also found on clinical mobiles. This has been my professional experience when dealing with both hot and cold water installations on hundreds of such units.”
Lead picture: TWO FM can check the quality of the water supply to relocatable clinical units.
Published on page 14 of the September 2021 issue of RAD Magazine.