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Water Risk Assessment - September 2007

Report

The water risk assessment was carried out on 14/08/2007. This was done to the Approved Code of Practice on Legionella 2001 and the Water Regulations Guide incorporating the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations 1999 and the Water Byelaws 2000, Scotland .

1. Water mains stopcock and water meter.
This is situated in the pathway opposite the main Reception. See photographs. Main stop valve to site is inside the old boiler room by reception at roof level.

2. Water storage tank above reception.
A galvanised tank 4’x6’x4’ and up to Water By-law standard. The tank has been painted previously but is now rusty inside. It requires to have a bitumen liner fitted.
There is a large deadleg coming off the incoming main feeding a trials unit outside. This is open at present which could cause the tank, and its supply, to become contaminated. This should be investigated as soon as possible.

3. Top floor toilet.
This appears to be out of use. There is a redundant shower which has been disconnected. The deadleg needs to be cut back and capped off.
Under the sink there is an old hot water heating element which is fed from an overhead top up tank, see photographs. This is a major health hazard and should be cut out.
If this toilet is not in use all the water needs to be isolated and the door should be kept locked.

4. Second floor toilet used as mens.
There is an Ariston hot water heater under the sink. This is leaking on the infill connection mains coming in through the ceiling. One valve on the wall is marked as feeding to the laboratory.

5. Ground floor toilet used as ladies.
The urinals have been disconnected. There is an unlagged 15mm pipe, leading outside that feeds a garden tap, see photographs.

6. Workshop offices.
A new kitchen unit fitted with a Heatrae water heater has been installed. A fitted cold drinks machine has been connected to the incoming main. The pipe work is not lagged, see photograph which shows the stop valve to the workshop office sink.
There is a sink unit with a small old Aquaton water heater. Above is a Sadia water heater which is disconnected and should be removed.
The water supply comes in from the factory floor near an overhead heater in R & D experimental chamber. The water supply to it needs to be drained when not in use.
Rain Rig - all the pipe work feeding the rig needs to be lagged, see photographs, and the rig should be drained when not in use,

7. Shop floor.
A 42mm copper main down service has a repair clamp fitted, see photograph. The support brackets fitted are not adequate for the job and the pipe is in great danger of collapse which would cause a great deal of damage.
Another42mm pipe runs along the shop floor on the reception side and goes up to the mezzanine floor where it goes through a wall, possibly into a toilet. There is a deadleg at the junction which needs to be blanked off and capped.
A 22mm main goes off which is suspended by string only. This comes to the middle of the mezzanine and then splits, see photographs.

8. Ladies and gents toilets.
The water for these is supplied from the shop floor. Both are locked. Needs investigation to find out if they are still in use at the canteen end.

9. First Aid room.
Unable to inspect. Is this facility used? There is a water heater on the wall by the entrance.

10. South end.
Gents toilet has a hand wash stand. This is old but is still effective. There is a deadleg coming from the sink situated between the toilet and the hot water heater. This should be cut back and capped.
Ladies toilet was locked.
There is a water storage tank above the toilets which is up to Water By-law standards.

11. Caloris production area.
Re-circulating system connected to the domestic water tank at the north end. The tank should feed toilets only but currently, this is not what it is being used for. The water mains and pipes run for several metres around the test rigs and then return to the tank.
There is a redundant tank which for Health and safety reasons, needs to be re-connected as soon as possible.

12. Bar and bar area.
There is one washing up sink with a water softener underneath. This serves the glass washer opposite. Inside the bar is a redundant sink which is used only as a glass drain. This may need to be blocked off if it is not to be used again. All other water services in this area are up to Water By-law standards.
Note: both cold taps have a slight drip. The washers may need to be changed.

13. Water coolers.
Third floor offices two units north and south The south end is where they both pick up the water main in the corner by the coffee and tea dispenser .This area is naturally hot due to the heat generated by the coffee machine.
The mains feed connecting the south unit to the north is a long run of approximately  26 metres. The micro mains pipe is in the ceiling void. It is not lagged and the ambient temperature in this office is 26.5oC. This is over the maximum 20oC allowed for Legionella growth.
The north end machine was stripped and a drip tray full of foul smelling stagnant water was found. A bacterial dipslide was taken. Although a facility for a drain has been made, it has not been connected.

14. Main office block toilets.
Ladies and gents  floors 1-4. These are all of the same design. Some taps are not working correctly. All nozzles are heavily scaled and all will need a de-scale. The general condition of all toilets is good, the gents urinals are clear and clean.

15. Main kitchen/canteen.
One large copper calorifier feeds the kitchen hot water but it could also feed other areas. Unable to check this. This calorifier is very old, the lagging surround is falling off. The pipe work lagging is in the same condition. Delivery temperature to the kitchen taps at this time, is 88oC which is scalding. The water temperature could not be controlled from the calorifier so for Health and Safety reasons this must be addressed as soon as possible.
The sink in the main kitchen area has a deadleg underneath. This needs to be investigated to see if it is still live.
The mixer tap in the sink in the main kitchen needs to be changed for new, see photographs.
The mixer tap on the sink opposite the cooking range is leaking continually and needs to be changed.

16. Factory south end.
Two galvanised water storage tanks, one is disconnected off line. The second tank is over 1,000 gallons so needs a warning pipe fitted. This would bring it up to Water By-law 30 standard.
The supply to the tank is from the main ring main. This also supplies the spray paint wash tank and one other down service at the back of the live tank. I was not able to trace the deadleg by the tank room door but there is a 12 galvanised steel pipe to be blanked off.

17. South end warehouse.
The cold drinks machine by the roller shutter is fed from the ring main. The copper and plastic pipe work is not lagged. Above the roller shutter at roof level, are two isolating valves for the ring main.

18. Mid factory.
The drinks machine and cold water dispenser by the middle roller shutter door to the stores area, is supplied by the central ring main. All exposed copper and plastic pipe work needs to be lagged. There is a large coil of plastic pipe work behind the water cooler which is causing a deadleg which needs to be cut short.

19. Water storage tanks by the lift motor room.
There are two one piece galvanised tanks. One is out of service and needs a warning pipe fitted to bring it up to Water By-law 30 standard.

20. Main boiler room roof.
There is one large one piece galvanised water storage tank which again needs to have a warning pipe fitted to bring it up to Water By-law 30 standard. The lagging has come away from the underneath of the tank and this will need to be re-fitted.
The calorifier underneath is lagged with asbestos but although this has been sealed, we would be unable to work on it.

Recommendations

1. Water storage tank above reception.
The one piece galvanised tank is painted inside but it is very rusty. We recommend that a butyl liner is fitted. This will save the cost of  installing a new tank.
There has been a spur taken off the mains feed to the water tank . This is causing a large deadleg which should be investigated as a matter of urgency.

2. Top floor above reception.
A redundant shower needs to be dismantled and the dead leg cut back and capped.
Under the sink is a heater element which is fed from an overhead top up tank. Both these are major health hazards and need to be removed, the pipe work should be cut back and capped.

3. Second floor toilet marked Gents.
There is one old Ariston boiler under the sink which is constantly leaking and needs to be repaired or replaced.

4. Ground floor ladies toilet.
There are old urinals inside this toilet which have been isolated but if they will not be used again should be removed. All old pipe work and drains need to be cut back and capped. There is also an unlagged 15mm pipe feeding an outside tap. This pipe work needs to be lagged.

5. Workshop offices above R&D.
A new cold water dispenser has been fitted to the cold main under the sink. The pipe work need to be lagged.

6. R & D workshop.
The old wall hanging Sadia heater needs to be removed, and the old pipe work should be removed and capped.
If all the test rigs are not running, the mains supply should be isolated and the rigs drained down in order to prevent bacteria build up.

7. Shop floor.
The main 42mm down service near the reception door has a temporary repair clamp fitted. This is not properly supported and could collapse at any minute. It needs to be repaired and clamped properly as soon as possible.
A 42mm copper ring main runs along at high level and then breaks off to the mezzanine floor where it goes through the wall possibly into the toilets. There is a dead leg at the junction which needs to be cut out and capped. Also running near this main is a length of 22mm pipe. This is supported only by string. It is still live and will require investigation.

8. South end workshop toilet.
There is a dead leg coming from behind the sink between the toilet and the water heater. This should be cut back and capped.

9. Caloris production area.
The domestic water storage tank at the north end is feeding the re-circulating system which contravenes current Water Bye-laws. This tank should only be used for feeding domestic systems i.e. toilets, wash hand basins only.
The re-circulating system should have its own tank. There is an spare empty tank next to it which could be used for this purpose.
The current arrangement constitutes a serious health hazard and should be resolved as soon as possible.

10. Water coolers.
There are several water coolers situated around the site in both offices and shop floor. Our inspection of them shows that they have big deadlegs due to the way they have been installed e,g. micro mains pipe coiled up behind units and above ceilings. None of the pipe work is lagged and this is causing the incoming water temperature to rise above 20oC. Also, there is nowhere to drain the waste water in the drip trays. This problem needs to be investigated.

11 Main kitchen/canteen.
The large calorifier in the cupboard near the manager's office is delivering water at the taps tested at a scalding 88C. We tried to bring the temperature down on the sensor but were unable to. This problem needs to be attended to urgently as there is a very real danger of anyone using these taps being scalded.
Almost all the lagging has come off the calorifier, and the associated pipe work is in the same state.
Several of the sink taps in the kitchen need to be changed.