WATER HYGIENE & SAFETY
Specifying compliant bathing equipment
Reval Continuing Care MD, Jason Ashman, discusses the importance of only purchasing compliant water fittings for use in healthcare settings – with a particular focus on assisted bathing equipment – and sets out some of the key things that potential purchasers of such products should look out for.
Water compliance is especially important in a healthcare, hospital, or care home setting, but through our discussions with the sector it’s become clear that not many understand what is required. Bringing clarity and understanding to the requirements that must be upheld can be described in a nutshell: ‘Any water fitting, which when installed, will carry or receive water from the public mains water supply in the UK’, must comply with the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations. These require that a water fitting should not cause waste, misuse, undue consumption, or contamination of the water supply, and must be ‘of an appropriate quality and standard’. So, how do healthcare providers ensure
that they are meeting these requirements when specifying bathing apparatus and equipment? The only way is to request compliance certificates from potential suppliers when purchasing bathroom appliances. While all water fittings and associated materials must by law conform with the Water Supply Regulations 1999,1 there is no legal requirement to obtain WRAS approval; it is simply the easiest and most reliable way of demonstrating compliance. According to the Water Supply Regulations, it is down to the installer to ensure that water fittings meet the criteria. WRAS approval provides valuable peace of mind, both for you and your customers. Healthcare providers need to be
confident that the equipment they purchase is of the highest quality – to ensure reliability and service continuity while meeting stringent quality standards and legal requirements. The materials and components of construction used in assisted bathing systems must be tested and subjected to the water industry’s WRAS Category 5 standard. This is to demonstrate the compliance with WRAS category 5 and BS6920. Marketing a product and stating that it has WRAS-approved components incorporated does not guarantee
compliance. Moreover, such language should serve as a warning, and companies referring to WRAS-approved components as a key selling point should be carefully scrutinised prior to purchasing from them. The only way that, say, a healthcare engineer can be assured of equipment compliance is for the prospective supplier to provide them with a Water Regulatory Advisory Scheme (WRAS) Category 5 certificate of approval. That approval must have a live listing on the online WRAS Approvals Directory. Here at Reval we provide our Category 5 certificate complete with approval number with the appliance. If a product is not listed, then you should question the approval with WRAS for verification.
In the absence of an authentic certificate
and directory listing of approval, the appliance cannot be legally installed to UK mains water. The only way would be via a special dispensation from your local water authority, which is highly unlikely, as BS6920 is a British Standard.
Contacting the local water authority It is the responsibility of the care operator or healthcare provider to contact the local water authority and provide product details to secure the necessary approval for appliance installation. No one tells you to insure your car, but you know you have to do it, and here it is exactly the same. Here the Water Regulations UK outline how to comply, as follows: ‘1) Ensure that the equipment is of an appropriate quality and standard. 2) Ensure that the installation is safe by notifying the local water undertaker at least 10 working days before the equipment is installed. 3) To prevent bathing and wastewater contaminating drinking water supplies, install the correct level of backflow protection.’2
A photo taken by Reval when removing a non-compliant bathing appliance – clearly illustrating the risks of specifying systems not fit for purpose.
The Water Regs continue: ‘Bathing equipment in hospitals, nursing, and care homes is categorised as a fluid Category 5 risk, a serious health hazard. To protect patients, residents, and staff, as well as the wider community, the supplies to all tap and shower outlets must be protected by a backflow arrangement rated as providing fluid Category 5 protection.’2 An example of where backflow can
occur is when taps and shower handsets are dipped or left submerged in bathwater and the water supply pressure drops. This action causes a vacuum in the appliance’s pipework. The vacuum action will then back-syphon the bathwater along with any of the bather’s pathogens, bacteria, soaps, and emollients, transferred during bathing, into the building’s freshwater ring main. These pathogens can potentially find their way through an entire building plumbing system if safety devices are not installed, and can potentially be discharged anywhere in your building, such as into a washbasin, or a kitchen sink where food
June 2024 Health Estate Journal 63
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