As we get closer to 2025, there are a wide range of different safety issues your business might be wary of. From America’s upcoming trade tariff increases to digital security threats, keeping on top of all of these can feel overwhelming, to say the least.
More ‘conventional’ risks like water hygiene haven’t gone anywhere either, and you still need to dedicate resources to mitigate these where necessary. From developing a risk mitigation strategy to working on your plumbing system, these are a few things to keep in mind.
General strategies
Having a general strategy to stay on top of water safety issues is essential. In most cases, this will be achieved through adopting a water safety plan.
This plan will represent a broad outline of your efforts to ensure water safety on your business’s premises, detailing everything from risk assessments to the distribution of responsibility throughout the organisation.
It’s important that your plan is developed as soon as possible, ideally with the assistance of a water hygiene specialist. This is far easier and more effective than having to create one retroactively further down the line, after issues have already started popping up.
The importance of testing & assessment
As ever, any kind of effective, systematic approach to water safety will depend on extensive testing and risk assessment. Much of this testing, especially for things like bacteria, will require the assistance of external services.
They’ll be able to carry out the relevant tests using special equipment, and then provide you with a breakdown of any actions you need to take. This will be an ongoing requirement, not something that you just sort out once and for all and then forget about.
Employee training
To actually maintain a safe, hygienic water system in the workplace, you’ll need your employees to know what to watch out for. In most cases, this will require some kind of training.
For general employees such as janitorial workers, this can be quite introductory, often provided online. For more specific roles and responsibilities, it may require a slightly more in depth approach.
Updating your water system
While things like testing, training and documentation are all important, in some cases you’ll also need to make some big changes to the actual water system itself.
For example, if there are dead ends in your plumbing system that can’t be cooled, heated or actively flushed out, you could be at risk of a Legionella outbreak unless you change that part of the plumbing.
This can end up being relatively expensive, but there might not be any way around it. Speak with both a water hygiene specialist and some experienced plumbers, and you can come up with the most cost-effective solution to deal with your situation.
Taking care of business water safety in 2025 is as important as ever. Luckily, we now have many more resources and technologies on hand, making it much easier to prevent incidents and keep risk at acceptable levels. By working with the right service providers, you can keep your workplace safe and productive over the years to come.
