WATER HYGIENE AND SAFETY – SPECIAL REPORT COVER STORY Taking control with a BEMS


Water hygiene in healthcare facilities has always been vital to the recovery and wellbeing of patients and the workforce, maintains Trend Controls, adding that the challenges to healthcare from the global pandemic ‘have only accentuated the need for proper water management’. The company said: “Amid the drama and uncertainty of current times, it is important to remember that existing regulations and standards – such as those underpinned by the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – must be upheld. Even in the last couple of years, cases of Legionnaire’s disease arising from poor water quality have still occurred with alarming regularity. Despite the notorious complexity of healthcare water systems in


healthcare, a recognised way to achieve greater control over waterborne infection is via a Building Energy Management System (BEMS). Properly implemented, a BEMS can monitor and manage up to 84 per cent of a building’s energy- consuming devices, giving estates managers the confidence to take control of water management at a time when occupant safety has never been so important.”


Trend Control Systems Ltd St Mark’s Court, Chart Way Horsham, West Sussex RH12 1XL, UK T: 01403 211888


www.trendcontrols.com


‘Intelligent’ IOT temperature and flow monitoring platform with quick reporting dashboards,


Representing an investment of over £685,000, Newry-based built environment software specialist, Bluezone Technologies’ latest ‘no touch’ Legionella management system, consisting of BluezoneTemp and BluezoneFlo, sits on the company’s IoT platform, Bluezone24.


The system incorporates sensor technology to remotely monitor water temperatures and provide real-time intelligent analysis to the devices of those responsible for building occupants’ health and wellbeing through Bluezone24, all without human interaction. Bluezone Technologies’ portfolio in fact already includes a Legionella management module with mobile application. Technical director, Pat McDonald, an industrial microbiologist (pictured right with co-director and CEO, Adrian Byrne), said: “Legionella control and monitoring is still largely focused on paper-based procedures, but the appetite for an easy- to-install sensor, alongside a user-friendly


was clear. BluezoneTemp and BluezoneFlo can be installed in both new- builds and retrofits with minimal intrusion, and without needing access to buildings’ IT data networks. Those responsible for monitoring and controlling Legionella in their building will now have a wealth of data – delivered right to their mobile phones if needed – to support and guide their decision-making.”


Adrian Byrne added: “At a minimum, BluezoneTemp captures daily temperatures and transmits the data via the world’s largest IoT network to the cloud-hosted Bluezone24 platform. It is here that the platform’s true intelligence and efficiencies are seen. Estates and facilities managers can clearly see out- of-range temperatures and plan any necessary remedial work. Coincidentally, they can do this through other add-on modules in the same platform, including assigning contractors.


“We were already in the latter stages of R&D with an automatic flushing unit in early 2020, but following the coronavirus outbreak, the need for such a device, and the technology to support it, accelerated. The BluezoneFlo device complements its temperature-taking counterpart by automatically flushing an outlet and reporting back to the platform, creating true autonomy. Vitally, the platform records these events in digital form with a complete asset history, with no physical visit required to the asset or site.”


‘New standard of hygiene’ for shower fittings


Conti+ says that with the electronically controlled thermostat positioned adjacent to the shower head – reducing the standing water column normally seen with ‘conventional’ shower systems to ‘an absolute minimum’ – its new Conprimus shower panels ‘almost completely rule out’ microbiological contamination of the shower water. The panels can be additionally maintained through a regular rinse of the hot, cold, and mixed water lines. Andreas Kregler, managing director of CONTI Sanitärarmaturen, said: “The thermostat, based on proportional valve technology, offers a volume- controlled shower water mixture via servomotors, allowing independent


rinsing of both the cold and hot water lines, and the mixed water line. By combining this feature with positioning the thermostat directly at the shower head, we believe we have achieved a new standard


of hygiene for shower fittings. Conti+ Conprimus is thus ideally suited to use in public, semi-public, and commercial areas with especially high demands not only for functional reliability and vandal- resistance, but above all in relation to hygiene and maintenance.” “We have also paid particular attention to the design of the shower parts. At just four centimetres deep, the stainless steel cover is significantly slimmer than comparable products, enabling the shower panel to fit perfectly into a broad range of shower rooms. Meanwhile, to facilitate maintenance, all the hydraulic and functional parts are located on the rear wall behind the easily removable stainless steel cover.”


December 2020 Health Estate Journal 5


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