WATER SYSTEM HYGIENE & SAFETY
As they are ‘entirely configurable’, a customisable code for proof of flushing can be incorporated into the barcode.
be a tricky task. We were asked by one customer in particular to develop this probe, the organisation having described how their engineers were forced to wrap themselves in a shower curtain each time they attempted this particular test. Producing a probe with an in-built water collection cup was an intriguing design challenge for us.
Paperless recording
TC Wall Ports are also ideal for delivering a more seamless, paperless method of temperature recording. This is easily achieved by applying a label with a unique configurable barcode to each port, which can be used to record and store temperature readings using TME’s MM7000-2D Barcode Scanning Thermometer. This portable, Bluetooth thermometer has a built-in barcode scanner, is battery powered. and requires no Wi-Fi connection for taking measurements. It can be used to record a temperature reading without using pen, paper, or PDA.
Crucially for Water Safety Plans, using a barcode to record temperature checks actually proves that recording has taken place, reducing the possibility of human error or falsified results, while maintaining a body of data for analysing compliance. Most organisations still opt for recording results with pen and paper, or entering them into a PDA, but in some settings hospitals are moving to paperless temperature recording, having already embraced barcode technology as a more reliable way to record many other kinds of data.
Barcodes (1 or 2D) are free and easy to produce, can be configured to include any chosen data, and have incredible potential for enhancing due diligence in temperature recording. In the NHS they are already commonly used for identifying and recording hospital assets, as well as the patients themselves
How do barcodes ‘work’?
Barcodes are free and easy to create, and contain 32 characters, which can be used to represent specific data tailored to the organisation’s requirements. Individual
50 Health Estate Journal October 2019
barcode labels are applied to each port and left permanently in place. TC Wall Ports have a recessed panel at the front especially designed for this purpose. This barcode uniquely identifies the location of the Wall Port, and therefore the water outlet, and can include any information the organisation requires, e.g. specific hospital, ward, washroom, or basin – right down to the detail of an individual tap, pipe, or TMV. In addition to location data, the barcode can include instructions to the instrument regarding the display of alarms or the implementation of a time delay.
Scanning capabilities
When the temperature has been taken, the engineer scans the barcode before moving on to the next water outlet and a new measurement. Each scanner can store up to 1,000 readings at a time before it is necessary to download the data using the instrument’s Bluetooth capability. When it comes to accessing temperature results, software included with the thermometer ‘translates’ the barcodes into readable data, and transfers it into a CSV file format (Excel compatible). Afterwards, there are a number of options for accessing the data for storage – either by downloading directly to PC, laptop, or tablet, or by using Cloud-based data storage applications.
Proof of flushing
HTM 04-01 was updated in 2016 to align with the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) 2013 revised Approved Code of Practice, The control of legionella bacteria in water systems, (L8) and complementary technical guidance in HSG274. The HSE guidance recommends that infrequently
Tom Sensier
Tom Sensier, managing director at TM Electronics UK (TME), started his career in the 1980s as a hospital physicist at Bristol Royal Infirmary, and then St Thomas’s Hospital, London, and says the NHS ‘has always been of great importance’ to him. He said: “If I can help hospitals make savings, and become more efficient, that will delight me. I have worked in temperature measurement for some 30 years now, and have always tried to make technology work on a practical level; whether it’s a case of developing a
comprehensive temperature-based system to help the NHS prevent waterborne infections, or designing a simple probe to allow water engineers to take shower temperatures without getting wet, my aim is to make the task easier.” Tom Sensier was reportedly responsible for introducing the first UK microprocessor-controlled handheld thermometer into the temperature monitoring industry; he developed the first dedicated Legionella Temperature Kit, and has ‘pioneered’ the use of barcode scanning technology for paperless temperature recording. Having started TME in 1992, he has grown the business from its original location – in a converted loft in his own home – to today’s ‘dynamic design and manufacturing company’. Based in Goring-by-Sea, West Sussex, it is still a family-owned and run UK business with a local workforce, dedicated to providing a high level of expertise and service.
used water outlets or ‘deadlegs’ are flushed once a week, or, if necessary, more often (even as much as daily) in some healthcare facilities. Given the significant number of deadlegs in hospital buildings, proof of flushing is another huge challenge for healthcare estates managers, which TME has taken on board. An added advantage of the TC Wall Port System is its ability to double up as a quick and easy proof of flushing method, when used with a Barcode Scanning Thermometer.
As barcodes are entirely configurable, a customisable code for proof of flushing can be incorporated into the barcode. Furthermore, using one of TME’s special codes, the timer function on the instrument can be activated for a user- defined period (one or two minutes). So, for example, in the case of a problematic deadleg, this provides a simple method for proving that the outlet has been flushed and, if required, the length of time taken. Additionally, another special code may be incorporated within the barcode which will record the temperature and curtail the timer as soon as the required temperature is reached.
‘Organic’ development TME’s Legionella Range continues to develop organically, drawing on feedback from water safety managers and technicians at annual events like the Healthcare Estates Conference and Exhibition, and regularly throughout the year in regular communications with NHS Trusts.
New ideas are being introduced all the time, with pleasingly short development times, thanks to TME’s UK-based design and production team.
hej
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