WATER SYSTEMS
Key components and their vital part of a safe supply
Stephanie Allchurch, Product Development manager at Altecnic, discusses the importance of getting it right when it comes to products and procedures with water systems in healthcare settings. She focuses on some of the key components needed to ensure that water systems in such settings are as hygienic and safe as possible, particularly for vulnerable end-users.
Controlling the safety and hygiene of water systems in healthcare settings is an essential element of the overall safety of end-users. As such, preventing scalding and reducing the risk of Legionella are both high priorities for healthcare estates managers and Water Safety Groups (WSGs) to ensure the safety of patients once they are admitted to a healthcare facility.
Developing an understanding of L. pneumophila For healthcare estates managers and healthcare engineers, HTM 04-01: Safe Water in Healthcare Premises1
is a
fundamental piece of guidance that must be adhered to when working with the wider Operations teams – for example so that the latter can adapt dormant spaces to be safe to accommodate vulnerable patients. It is known that Legionnaire’s disease
is responsible for approximately 2-9% of pneumonia cases, and that the disease is spread via the breathing in of aerosolised water contaminated with Legionella bacteria, which can be created in environments such as hot and cold water outlets, atomisers, wet air-conditioning plants, and whirlpool or hydrotherapy baths. Legionella pneumophila, the bacterium that causes Legionnaire’s disease, grows in water systems where water is stored at between 20 and 60 °C. Due to this, it makes sense to keep water stored and distributed at temperatures above 60 °C to thermally disinfect systems, without the use of chemicals. With this, expansion vessels in any hot water system also threaten the hygiene
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Controlling the safety and hygiene of water systems in healthcare settings is an essential element of the overall safety of end-users.
of the system by running the risk of introducing bacteria, including Legionella. HTM 04-011
explains that this occurs most
often because of plant room temperatures usually exceeding that of the incoming water, alongside other issues such as water becoming stagnant in the vessels in pressurised systems.
Components for water system safety Hospital Water Safety Groups and healthcare estates managers must pay special attention to the design and implementation of any hot or cold water system to prevent the growth of Legionella pneumophila and other bacteria. When
Hospital Water Safety Groups and healthcare estates managers must pay special attention to the design and implementation of any hot or cold water system to prevent the growth of Legionella pneumophila and other bacteria
considering the design of a water system, two key components can be fitted to help ensure that safe and hygienic water leaves the outlet. These are: n Flow-through expansion vessels; n Thermostatic mixing valves (TMVs) with a thermal override function.
Flow-through expansion vessels Slow-moving water in a water system can create prime points of risk for the growth of bacteria such as Legionella. Standard expansion vessels can be susceptible to being such a point of risk, particularly when systems are left unused for long periods, or pressure remains constant over time. Flow-through expansion vessels – when used with a Flowjet valve – are designed to keep potable water moving through a system in order to prevent any stagnation or contamination. When stagnation or contamination occurs, it is more likely that harmful bacteria such as Legionella can develop. The innovative Flowjet design encourages flushing through the vessel, greatly
April 2022 Health Estate Journal 55
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