Operating a business means watching out for and mitigating various risks. While some economic and digital threats are relatively abstract and difficult to keep track of, others – such as water hygiene – are far more fundamental in nature.
While the risks posed by water system contamination are thousands of years old, that doesn’t mean that we’ve eliminated them. It’s critical that business owners recognise the importance of ongoing action, and that they leverage the technologies and techniques available to them.
With that in mind, here’s a brief rundown of the importance of water hygiene, along with some basic actions you will need to take.
Why should you care about water safety?
First off, is water hygiene something that you actually need to worry about? In short, yes it absolutely is, for a number of reasons. First, you have a legal duty to provide access to safe water for everyone who works on your premises – neglecting this duty can result in you facing serious legal repercussions.
It is also a bare minimum in terms of what’s expected of a business. Should a waterborne disease outbreak occur, it could have incredibly damaging effects on your brand image. Lastly, you have a moral duty to ensure that you look after people who are under your care; waterborne illnesses are no joke, and they can have fatal repercussions.
Actions you should take
There are several actions that you’ll need to take in order to ensure water hygiene is maintained on your premises – these are the basics.
Develop a plan
At the heart of your approach to water safety will be your Water Safety Plan. This is essentially a document that will tie together your overarching strategy, covering everything from risk assessment findings to the assignment of responsibility to individuals. It’s important that you take this plan seriously, as a lot hangs on its ability to do its job properly.
Risk assessment
As with any other kind of threat, to understand what it is you’re dealing with you’ll need to use risk assessments. These will typically need to be carried out by a water hygiene specialist, who will have the appropriate knowledge and tools to assess your water systems for potential dangers.
Staff training
You’ll need to make sure that the people in your organisation have the requisite knowledge to deal with water safety issues. That will often mean providing a variety of different employee training opportunities, whether those are just an introduction to the topic or something a lot more in-depth.
Concrete actions
Based on the findings of your risk assessment, you will potentially need to take some concrete actions. That could consist of installing water temperature monitoring devices, moving water storage units away from hot water pipes, or changing old lead pipes to a safe material. Some of these actions will need to be taken right away in order to ensure the safety of your business’s water systems.
Taking care of these four main areas should leave you in a good position. So long as you understand your legal and practical duties, you should be able to create a framework that allows you to mitigate any risks before they result in a serious accident.
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