WATER HYGIENE AND SAFETY


An anti-Legionella valve The most significant difference is that, unlike standard expansion vessels, flow- through expansion vessels include a Flowjet valve (sometimes referred to as an ‘anti-Legionella valve’) to ensure continuous flow of water through the bladder. Regardless of the change in water pressure, this valve diverts part of the water flow into the vessel to continually renew water within it, preventing water stagnation, and therefore guarding against Legionella formation. These valves also allow for vessels to be drained, bypassed, or isolated in the case of removal or replacement. The flow-through valve supplied with specifically designed flow- through expansion vessels – and the T-piece supplied with the larger of these – also remove the need for pipework from the top of the vessel, as they facilitate the same movement of water, but within a standard pipework system design.


Conclusion With Legionella bacteria posing such a significant risk to life in healthcare premises – if allowed to spread through the water systems – and with Legionnaires’ disease having such a high mortality rate, the potential fines and legal impacts to property owners following an outbreak are appropriately significant as a result. It is therefore incumbent on the property managers of all healthcare establishments to ensure that water management systems are designed and implemented in such a way as to minimise that risk.


As a key part of any water system design, the property or facilities manager must ensure that the expansion vessel – used to efficiently manage the change in pressure in a closed system – is the optimal selection to keep the risk of Legionella bacteria to an absolute minimum.


England. 12 February 2019 [https://tinyurl.com/6bva525c].


4 Legionnaires’ disease in residents of England and Wales – 2016. Public Health England, March 2018 [https://tinyurl.com/wjnadn52].


5 Verity R, Okell LC, Dorigatti I et al. Estimates of the severity of coronavirus disease 2019: a model-based analysis. Lancet Infect Dis 2020; 20 (6): 669-77. doi: 10.1016/s1473-3099(20)30243-7.


ACV UK says: ‘The protection of health is the main priority – but the fines for not complying can be very high.’


Thanks to continuous developments in product design, equipment such as flow-through expansion vessels – with specifically designed flowjet valves to maintain constant water flow, and appropriate membrane materials to minimise the risk of bacteria growth – are more readily available. This makes it far easier for property managers to make appropriate selections, and uphold their duty of care in ensuring that their premises are safe for patients, residents, visitors, and staff.


6 Hauser A, Counotte MJ, Margossian CC et al. Estimation of SARS-CoV-2 mortality during the early stages of an epidemic: a modelling study in Hubei, China and northern Italy. PLoS Med 2020; 17 (7): e1003189. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1003189.


7 Hospital fined £300 k after Legionnaires’ disease death. BBC News, 20 April 2018 [https://tinyurl.com/rebcjy5c].


8 Bupa fined £3 m in Legionnaire’s disease care home death. BBC, 14 June 2018 [https://tinyurl.com/9aucruf3].


9 Managing legionella in hot water systems. Health and Safety Executive [https://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/ Legionella.htm].


hej


References 1 Health Technical Memorandum 04-01: Safe water in healthcare premises. Part A: Design, installation and commissioning. Department of Health, 2016 [https://tinyurl.com/pw6pnsaz].


2 Legionnaires’ disease. The control of legionella bacteria in water systems, Approved Code of Practice and guidance on regulations. Health & Safety Executive, L8 (4th edn), 2013, p6 [https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ books/l8.htm].


3 Legionnaires’ disease monthly surveillance reports. Public Health


Amy Sedgwick and ACV UK


Amy Sedgwick is Assistant commercial product manager for Groupe Atlantic UK, ROI, and North America Divisions. Her core focus is on the ACV UK portfolio of hot water and heating products, but she also supports other brands in the group. ACV UK is best known for its patented tank-in-tank design that it says enables users to produce ‘high-performance, safe, and hygienic hot water’, as well as heating from the same unit, suitable for domestic and commercial applications. Prior to her to current role, Amy Sedgwick spent 10 years in commercial products at Pegler Yorkshire – a leading manufacturer of advanced plumbing, heating, and engineering products. She has ‘a wealth of experience understanding the best materials for safe and efficient systems’, as well as managing sizeable product portfolios to ensure that they meet the needs of customers and market requirements.


ACV has been designing, manufacturing, and distributing, products for heating and hot water generation for commercial and residential heating applications since 1922, specialises in stainless steel, and is the home of the ‘Tank-in-Tank’ concept. Based in Dalgety Bay in Scotland, ACV UK was formed in 1991. The whole ACV group is now a part of Groupe Atlantic, an international heating and hot water manufacturer.


48 Health Estate Journal April 2021


10 Module 87: Ensuring safe and robust hot water flow and return pipework. CIBSE Journal, November 2015 [https://www.cibsejournal.com/cpd/ modules/2015-12-safe].


11 Collection: Health technical memoranda: Health Technical Memorandum 04-01: Safe water in healthcare premises Part A: Design, installation and commissioning. Department of Health, 25 April 2013


[https://tinyurl.com/e6a8ujs].


12 WRAS. Water Supply Industry Interpretations and Advice, Area of Interest: Expansion Vessels [https://tinyurl.com/m6dx78uf].


13 Legionnaires’ disease. Technical guidance. Health and Safety Executive, 2014 [https://tinyurl.com/5unwdhdj].


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68