Water Tank Cleaning And The Importance To Your Business

If you have just made a cup of tea from the water heater on the wall in your catering room, or have used the water in your office building to wash the lunch time plates up, the day to day availability of this water is never really questioned, as the ease and convenience of on tap, hot water, is often taken for granted.

Over the course of time, water tanks (the place where water is stored before being distributed into your water heaters or outlets) can acquire dirt, debris and biofilm can form, which impacts the quality of water but can also lead to bacteria growing, such as Legionella. This bacteria can, if left untreated and uncontrolled, lead to legionnaires disease, which can be fatal in the most serious of cases.

So, why is water tank cleaning so important, both from a compliance point of view and of course, a health and safety point of view.

Put simply, failure to keep water tanks clean can lead to Legionella bacteria growing and multiplying in sufficient numbers to cause an outbreak of a serious lung infection called Legionnaires’ disease, which is caught by breathing in small droplets of contaminated water. For most people, Legionnaires’ disease is nothing more than a slight fever or cold like feeling, but for those that are elderly, young or of ill health (with a low immune system), the disease can end up proving fatal.

This is why larger buildings, such as hotels, hospitals, office buildings, leisure centres and housing accommodation are often more vulnerable and susceptible to Legionella contamination, simply because they have complicated and larger water supply systems in which the bacteria can quickly spread if untreated, unmonitored and of course, uncontrolled. Which means that as a business, there is a duty of care and responsibility on making sure that the control of Legionella bacteria is taken care of, as an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease could be devastating for colleagues and employees that work in the building.

The HSE guidance for legionella control ACoP L8 states that “The risk from exposure to legionella should be prevented or controlled; precautions include keeping the system and the water in it clean”.

Whilst the disease is rare in the UK, according to the NHS website 284 people were reported to have the infection in England and Wales in 2013, this could be preventable.

Whilst the disease is often more prevalent during the summer months of July through to September, the disease has the potential to cause problems all year round, which means on going water tank treatment, monitoring and control really is crucial.

And no matter the size of supply, water tank cleaning is simply a must. Whether your business uses a small domestic type of water storage tank or something of a much grander and complex scale, clean tanks mean clean water and clean water means there is a reduced risk of legionella bacteria establishing itself, and therefore, you control the potential of Legionnaires’ disease occurring within your business operation or premises.

This is where getting a specialist water tank cleaning company to take care of your water tanks really is a must. You need to be looking for a company that offers complete cleaning and disinfection packages, including cooling towers and domestic systems and you must ensure that their methods and practices are in compliance with the latest HSE guidelines, including ACoP L8, HTM 04-01, BS8558 and the COSHH regulations.

Put simply, by ensuring your cold-water storage tanks and systems are regularly cleaned and disinfected will keep your systems hygienic and prevent any build-up of nutrients which legionella bacteria feed on in order to grow and multiply.  Regular tank cleaning should be part of routine control measures for the prevention and control of legionnaires’ disease.