WATER HYGIENE AND SAFETY


fittings that support good hygiene will mitigate these risks. Smooth external surfaces are essential for all washroom equipment (including shower seats, modesty curtains, grab bars, and support rails), since pitted surfaces and too many joins provide niches for dirt and bacteria to adhere to. Durable, non-porous materials such as stainless steel, high-resistance nylon, and chrome-plated brass, will withstand intensive use, and support effective and regular cleaning. Smooth internal surfaces with low


volume capacity are also important. Recent years have seen taps with rough interiors (created by the casting process) replaced by smooth interiors to improve infection control. Delabie taps feature smooth interiors, and are designed to reduce the volume of water in the body and accelerate water flow. Both these factors minimise the development of scale and biofilm inside taps and showers.


This stainless steel paper towel dispenser ‘supports sustainable and effective cleaning’.


8580-2:2022 reinforces this, prohibiting the disposal of contaminated waste in patient handwash basins. It further advises that space around the sink should be designed to prevent the storage of patient items such as toothbrushes, cloths, or shaving equipment, that could become contaminated, and in new installations this space should be prohibited entirely. Taps need to be touch-free, either sensor-controlled, (see above), or with a long lever that can be operated by elbow or closed fist. Delabie’s Securitherm wall- mounted mixer tap has a long, ergonomic lever which provides sequential control, opening with cold, potable water. It has a removable spout, which can be autoclaved or descaled, or replaced by a Biofil spout filter to maintain the drop-height between outlet and waste. An offset drainage point will prevent water flowing directly onto the waste. BS 8580-2:2022 recommends recessed wastes with no plug (which contribute to biofilm development) for clinical handwash basins, although this is not required for lower-risk settings such as kitchen sinks or washrooms in public areas. Moreover, the drainage system must also be correctly sized, with an appropriate incline, and no tight bends or blockages which will prevent evacuation of contaminated water.


Specifying for best practice However well-designed the water system is, poor cleaning practices and inadequate maintenance will increase the contamination risk, promote transmissibility, and undermine good system design. Specifying fixtures and


50 Health Estate Journal October 2022


Servicing support It is possible to reduce transmissibility by specifying recessed water controls. This immediately reduces environmental contamination, but is problematic in terms of servicing and maintenance. Toilet cisterns are a prime example, with notoriously fragile mechanisms, which are difficult to access if installed behind a panel. The Tempomatic dual control WC flush is housed within a water-proof box. The hydraulic connection is made externally during installation, but once in place, the valve can be disconnected completely from the water supply from within the housing and removed for cleaning and maintenance. Access is via the actuator plate (which has concealed fixings to discourage removal), so the batteries, electronic unit, and solenoid valve, can also be accessed and replaced if necessary. Even when equipment is installed in line


with national drinking water regulations, waterborne pathogens such as P. aeruginosa are ever present. There are two objectives when designing and specifying the water distribution and delivery system: to minimise bacterial development within the pipework, fittings, and components, and support good hygiene practices to prevent contamination. This applies when designing for both new-build and refurbishment. This may mean educating and training for architects, specifiers, and engineers, as well as for purchasing, commissioning, and installation teams, to ensure that poor design, material specification, and equipment management, do not increase the microbial risk.


References 1 Annual epidemiological commentary: Gram-negative bacteraemia, MRSA bacteraemia, MSSA bacteraemia and C.


difficile infections, up to and including financial year April 2020 to March 2021. Public Health England. Published 15 September 2021


2 BS 8580-2:2022 Water quality. Part 2: Risk assessments for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and other waterborne pathogens – Code of practice. BSI. Published 2022.


3 Royal Society for Public Health video: ‘Hygiene protocol for cleaning taps & sinks’. Published Jan 2018. https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Wc-RgwIJpdY


4 Health Building Note 00-09: Infection control in the built environment. 2013 Edition. Department of Health.


5 Health Technical Memorandum 04-01: Safe water in healthcare premises. Part B: Operational management, and Part C: Pseudomonas aeruginosa – advice for augmented care units. Published 2016.


6 Kotay MS, Donlan RM, Ganim C, Barry K, Christensen BE, Mathers AJ. Droplet- Rather than Aerosol-Mediated Dispersion Is the Primary Mechanism of Bacterial Transmission from Contaminated Hand-Washing Sink Traps. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; Jan 15; 85(2): e01997-18.


7 Li Y-Y, Wang J-X, Chen X. Can a toilet promote virus transmission? From a fluid dynamics perspective. Phys Fluids 2020 Jun 1; 32(6): 065107.


Carole Armstrong


Carole Armstrong is Marketing and Communications manager at Delabie UK, which claims to be ‘the European market-leader for non-domestic tapware and sanitary fittings’. A graduate of Cardiff University, with a postgraduate Professional Diploma in Marketing from The Manchester College, she is responsible for PR and social media campaigns in both French and English. Based in Oxfordshire, her role also involves event management, as well as compiling, translating, and updating, technical brochures, sales support material, and website content, for English-speaking domestic and international markets.


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