Water safety specialists SAS Water is helping a Staffordshire council to guard against bacteria and keep staff and residents safe.
SAS Water Ltd, based in Leek, work with Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council, providing training around legionella bacteria and the company sits as an expert on the council’s Water Safety Group.
A build-up of legionella bacteria can lead to Legionnaire’s Disease, a potentially fatal form of pneumonia.
Training and awareness is essential and the law says you must provide information, instruction and training for your employees.
SAS Water offer a full training service and have also recently provided legionella awareness workshops for Unitas, Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s repairs and maintenance company.
Gordon Tebay, Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s Facilities and Engineering Manager said: “SAS Water’s team are experts in the field of Legionella Control and are affiliated to the Legionella Control Association [LCA]. The control of Legionellosis is critically important to the safe use of buildings, site waters and occasional use waters – e.g. externally mounted on walls/posts bib taps in gardens and allotments. These are all essential attributes of the services the council offers its customers.
“We use SAS Water to help to facilitate training; to raise the core competencies of the Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council staff and our partners.
“It’s important to make our teams aware of the inherent dangers of the Legionellosis bug to humans. The training is not limited to legionella matters, it’s also about knowing how scale/limescale build up occurs, “gunge” inside pipes (Pseudomonas) and how the performance of water bearing piped services systems and fixtures can be materially affected by poor maintenance.
“SAS Water are also our council appointed party on the BS8680 and BS8580 Legionella Control waters systems Risk Assessments Audit. They sit on the council’s Water Safety Group / Water Quality Group and contribute tremendously to the competent working of the group.
“Keeping Legionellosis and Control of Legionella at the forefront of all persons’ minds helps to engender peace of mind that building are well looked after by the council. All work is to HSE standards, Acop L8 and HSG274.”
Lizzie Ward, Managing Director of SAS Water, said: “It’s fantastic to work closely with Gordon and his colleagues at Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council and to help them to keep residents and staff as safe as possible from legionella bacteria and other waterborne issues.
“A Water Safety Group is a requirement under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections. Members share responsibility for ensuring that water-related risks are identified and assessed. A plan is implemented to ensure the appropriate control measures and monitoring strategies are implemented and followed.
“A water safety plan is essential and Newcastle Borough Council set high standards and are an excellent example of what is needed to keep people safe.
“I’m also extremely passionate about educating companies and the public on water safety and legionella. Organisations have a duty to inform their staff, but knowledge is sketchy, so we offer training workshops with courses registered with the Legionella Control Association.
