IHEEM AE CONFERENCE 2019
there have been instances where such individuals have been called upon to give evidence for the prosecution in legal proceedings. This can be a bitter pill, that sometimes results in negative behaviour.” Another scenario where the AE might be considered a ‘foe, rather than a friend’, might be where the individual was not acting impartially – for example if the person has ‘a vested interest in upselling additional services not included in the role’.
‘Less than impressed’
Focusing on some examples of where an AE had ended up acting as ‘the foe’, the speaker referred to the same ‘Client B’, served with an HSE Improvement Notice, to whom he had earlier alluded. He said: “Despite having been through that process – receiving the Improvement Notice, and undertaking the subsequent work to resolve the Inspector’s concerns, in the following months standards begin slipping again. As a result the AE wrote a ‘Letter of Concern’ to the Designated Person and the Senior Operational manager, who were ‘less than impressed’.” However,” he added, “since receiving the letter, performance has improved, the AE has been able to report good things to the Water Safety Group, and the client has won an award for its health and safety management.”
In a further case, with a change of management personnel with a Trust’s Estates Department, the new manager was keen to ‘get up to speed’ with the state of compliance within the estate – resulting in the commissioning of an audit which examined compliance across all areas. Philip Lonsdale explained: “The audit reported failings in many areas, and not least water safety – at which point an understandably stressed Estates director went on a rampage. A meeting with the AE was arranged, and supporting ‘evidence’ provided. Fortunately, things then calmed down. Subsequently, the AE has been able to support the organisation in identifying and implementing corrective actions to address gaps in compliance.”
Earlier involvement
The speaker said the ‘learning point here’ was that it may have helped if the AE had been involved in the data collection exercise pre-audit. He added: “Pieces were missing from the compliance audit, which led to a great deal of concern.” This example, Philip Lonsdale said, also emphasised the importance of an Authorising Engineer ensuring that knowledge is imparted ‘to a cross-section of the organisational structure’. Quite often, Water Hygiene Centre AEs found themselves dealing with ‘one or two people’ within an Estates Department regularly, but it was important to ensure that the information shared with those
36 Health Estate Journal May 2019
personnel was also imparted across a wide range of key contacts within the organisation.
In a third example of the AE having to act as a ‘foe’, Philip Lonsdale explained that an inspection of a new healthcare building found that the pipework joints had not been completed in accordance with the relevant British standard. He explained: “The contractor had been instructed to undertake works in line with the Standard, and in compliance with the client’s Water Safety Plan, which referenced it. Experience shows that pipework not correctly installed is more susceptible to bacterial colonisation, but when the Responsible Person told the contractor that the pipework would have to be replaced, the latter approached the Authorising Engineer, asking why, since, as the company put it, ‘the British Standard is only guidance’. The AE replied, in no uncertain terms: ‘If we accept the sub-standard system today, then we invite problems, if not immediately, then in the future, because safe water systems are built on safe foundations, which means getting things right from day one.’”
Planning to eliminate unnecessary risks
Part of the AE’s job was to ensure that clients were ‘keeping an eye on things during development’. Philip Lonsdale elaborated: “For example, planning should be reviewed prior to installation to eliminate unnecessary risks – such as potential circulatory issues, a lack of balancing valves, outlets destined for infrequent use, unnecessary thermostatic
mixing valves, radial plumbing, or excessive deadlegs. In addition,” he continued, “the process of development and construction should be risk assessed, so that any additional measures – such as dosing biocides before handover and flushing – are indicated by the risk assessor.” This was especially important where buildings were ‘installed in phases’, or could lie unoccupied for extended periods. It was also vital to check warranties, since some components’ warranties could be undermined by the ‘type of water’ that would pass through the system.
While the AE’s intention would generally be to ‘act as friend’, the speaker said ‘some friends don’t actually like to tell’. “Nevertheless,” he added, “sometimes only a true friend will tell the truth; the story of ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ springs to mind.”
Duty to provide ‘an informed view’ AEs, Philip Lonsdale stressed, had an accompanying duty to provide an informed view on compliance within the healthcare organisation being served. He said: “Professionally, that view must be impartial and accurate, to the extent that sometimes it won’t go down well with friends. Authorising Engineers work to help clients avoid long-term problems with the service, but this sometimes creates problems for individuals and teams short term.”
To help minimise the number of these events, the speaker said AEs should ‘engage with as many stakeholders as possible through the Water Safety Group and other opportunities’, and encourage
The Water Hygiene Centre’s ‘Technical Training – Role of the Authorised Person’ course looks at the operational and technical measures for controlling and minimising the risk of Legionella, including water hygiene, ‘safe’ hot water, cold water, drinking water systems, and air-conditioning.
The Water Hygiene Centre
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 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76