Have you considered whether the water that you drink from your tap is safe?
Did you know?
- In the UK our mains water is safe to drink but is often not bacteria free
- UK water suppliers have to make sure that the water they provide is of high quality which means removing harmful bacteria
- Other bacteria which is deemed to be non-harmful is left in the water but this can become troublesome if they start to colonise. Colonisation occurs if the water temperature is within certain ranges or the water is left sitting in pipes or tanks and not being regularly flushed or used.
Legionella Management Solutions is the leading water treatment and legionella services provider that looks after necessary water sampling and testing for various clients, including the healthcare sector—using our UKAS-accredited laboratory partners, the analysis of water samples takes place in laboratory conditions.
Our detailed UKAS-accredited laboratory analysis identifies pathogens such as legionella SG1 and SG2-14 but also potability and indicator organisms such as coliforms/E-Coli, TVCs, and Pseudomonas.
Drinking Water Analysis
Water samples should be tested to ensure a business’s drinking water is free from illness-causing bacteria. These drinking water tests analyse the number of bacteria that are present and liable to grow. This is the Total Viable Count or TVC. The water is tested at both 22 and 37 degrees Centigrade. The lower temperature shows the levels of bacteria which can grow at average room temperature. The higher temperature is equivalent to human body temperature and will detect bacteria such as coliforms which can be harmful to the human body.
Legionella Testing
The Health and Safety Executive in the ACOP L8 and HSG274 documents set clear protocols for testing and detecting Legionella in water systems. Under certain circumstances, for example, if a business has cooling towers or spa pools, there’s a legal requirement to take water samples from these to test for the presence of Legionella bacteria.
