Ensuring Hygiene and Efficiency: Commercial Plumbing Solutions in Healthcare Facilities
28 March 2024
Impeccable hygiene standards and efficient plumbing systems are critical in any healthcare facility as they are another way to ensure patient safety and well-being. Commercial plumbing enables you to maintain the hygiene and efficiency of your plumbing system, making sure each system functions as it should while complying with the strict rules and regulations that surround it.
This article delves into the importance of commercial plumbing in healthcare settings and highlights key considerations for implementing reliable and effective plumbing solutions.
Unique Challenges of Plumbing in Healthcare Facilities
The challenges faced by healthcare facilities vary depending on the size and services provided.
For larger facilities, such as hospitals, plumbing systems need to be designed and installed with water pressure in mind. With a high number of taps, showers, and toilets across the facilities, the plumbing needs to ensure a steady water flow at an adequate pressure.
For any healthcare facility, water quality and purification will be a priority. Therefore, the plumbing needs to include filtration and purification of water so that the water provided isn’t contaminated.
One of the ways that clean water is ensured, is through a backflow prevention system. Plumbers need to include backflow prevention devices and procedures within their solutions to minimise the risk of contaminated water flowing into the facility’s water supply.
To tackle each challenge faced within your setting, a one-size-fits-all solution is unlikely to work. Instead, a bespoke solution will ensure that the plumbing system meets your requirements while adhering to regulations.
Ensuring Water Quality and Safety
Clean water is important for our health, and this is never more so the case than in a healthcare setting.
Clean water allows for basic patient care and hygiene practices, including cleaning wounds, washing hands, and bathing, all of which help reduce the spread of infections between patients and staff.
Additionally, water is often used in medical procedures such as surgeries, dialysis, and various diagnostic tests. If contaminated water is used, there is the risk of introducing harmful bacteria and pathogens into an already vulnerable body. This can lead to further infection and complications. Moreover, medical devices and equipment rely on clean, sanitised water to function; contaminated water can damage equipment and compromise patient safety.
Clean water is key for hydration, which aids in recovery for patients and the overall health of staff and visitors.
In order to ensure clean water is provided through plumbing systems, several solutions can be implemented.
Water filtration and purification systems will remove contaminants and pathogens so that the water meets quality standards. These systems include filters, UV sterilization and chemical disinfection methods.
Point-of-use filters are often added to sinks and water outlets to provide an additional layer of protection against waterborne contaminants.
Regular maintenance is also key to ensuring clean water is kept circulating in the systems. If there are any issues, maintenance checks will highlight them and allow for a quick repair.
Addressing Sanitation and Hygiene Needs
While clean water is imperative, it is not the only thing to help control the spread of infection and keep your healthcare facility’s plumbing hygienic.
Keeping touch points sanitised is often a consideration throughout the design and installation process.
Motion sensor taps and soap dispensers are typically used within bathrooms and kitchens, while antimicrobial surfaces are installed where possible.
Again, regular maintenance from a professional commercial plumbing team will help ensure that your systems are running at optimal hygiene levels so you can keep your facility sanitised.
Collaborating with Plumbing Professionals
Healthcare facilities often require complex plumbing solutions to meet their requirements within the space they have.
With a range of regulations and guidelines to adhere to, a bespoke design is often an efficient and cost-effective way to ensure your plumbing systems meet industry standards while performing as you need them to.
Calmec’s professional plumbing services provide a comprehensive range of design, installation and maintenance solutions that put customer satisfaction at the heart of our work.
Using the latest CAD technology, we will create detailed drawings to demonstrate the ways that our proposed solutions will meet your requirements, as well as comply with regulations.
Our installation team will work efficiently and smoothly, minimising disruption to your routine and ensuring they leave the environment as they found it.
Finally, our expert maintenance and servicing team will complete thorough inspections and checks at regular intervals agreed with you, keeping your system working at its optimal levels.
Contact us today to learn how we could help ensure an efficient and hygienic plumbing solution for your healthcare facility. Call us on 01202 070 280 or complete our contact form, and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
