Beyond Compliance: Building a Culture of Water Safety at Work

It’s easy to regard water safety at work as a box-ticking exercise – simply a case of pro forma checking of water temperatures, regular flushing of unused pipes, and dutifully recording that checks have been carried out. But simply going through the motions when it comes to water safety is unwise.

In fact, a company that considers the build-up of waterborne bacteria a problem that can be tackled solely by bureaucracy is liable to come unstuck. Nasties like Legionella can crop up in any part of a water system, and keeping on top of bacteria really needs the entire workforce to be on its guard against them. But how do you go about cultivating a culture of water safety that pervades the entire company – from the cleaners to the CEO? Let’s find out.

Responsible Person

UK law stipulates that the burden of dealing with water safety at a company falls to a person nominated by the business owner as a ‘Responsible Person’.

Two pieces of legislation and a best practice guide are important here:

• The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002: Employers must assess the risk and implement control measures, including a ‘competent person’ to manage water safety.
• Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR): Regulation 7: Requires employers to appoint ‘competent people’ to assist with health and safety duties.
• ACoP L8 (para 9.3): “A responsible person must be appointed to take managerial responsibility for controlling the risk from legionella bacteria.”

Water Safety Culture

While the Responsible Person shoulders much of the responsibility for dealing with water safety at a company, it doesn’t end with him or her. The entire workforce needs to be able to step in when needed. All members of staff should have some basic training in recognising water hazards and problems, and feel free to report on water issues when they arise. At a minimum, staff should be trained to understand the risk of Legionella, scalding risks, chemical risks and have a basic understanding of the topography of the water system, especially high-risk areas.

Reporting Problems

Burst pipes, strange odours and murky drinking water are thankfully not common problems for most businesses, but when they do occur, the workforce needs to know how to report them. A reporting procedure needs to be quick, clear, and traceable. At the same time, the report should be recorded physically in a logbook or digitally via email to the RP or facilities manager.

Water Safety Plan

Knowing how to report a problem with the water system and to whom it should be addressed should be outlined in the water safety plan (WSP). As well as outlining a comprehensive set of control measures and assigning key duties to the responsible person and associated officers, the WSP should outline all monitoring, record-keeping, and review procedures. At the same time, the WSP should also cover what happens when an incident occurs and relevant governance procedures, so members of staff understand what’s expected of them when it comes to identifying and reporting on water hazards and risks at work.

Living Document

Finally, companies that want to make sure they’re not just paying lip service to water safety should ensure they make their WSP a ‘living document’. This means that the WSP should be constantly under review and evolve with the changing nature of the risks and when the water systems change at a company.