Water quality testing is vital for businesses as they may also have lead pipes, hard water, and other contaminants that can affect employee health, such as Legionella, lead, copper, nitrates, and VOCs. Procedures involve collecting water samples according to lab instructions, where they are later analyzed, and businesses will receive a report comparing the results to national EPA standards. From there, it's up to businesses to ensure they get the appropriate water treatment systems for ongoing maintenance.
According to Purdue University, the United States has over 5.6 million commercial buildings with complex indoor plumbing that can make it easy for water-based safety hazards to go undetected. Contaminated water can make businesses liable for employee illness and create further expenses by causing plumbing damage and building downtime. That's why business and commercial property owners should make water treatment systems a priority.
Why Should Companies Do Water Quality Testing?
If your building has downtime due to vacations or holidays, water can become stagnant enough to breed toxins or bacterial growth, thus putting employee health at risk. Additionally, hard water may be causing damage, and business owners may have expensive problems if left unmanaged.
Employee Health
Water contamination risks are a direct threat to employee and visitor health. A range of bacteria and toxins can cause someone to get sick, particularly if they're infected with cholera or lead poisoning.
By conducting water testing, companies can help prevent work downtime by avoiding employee sick days and fees from pending healthcare costs that the job would be responsible for.
Stagnancy
According to the CDC, the risk of Legionella bacteria growth increases in stagnant water as hot water temperature decreases, permitting the bacteria to grow, thus causing Legionnaire's disease. Exposure to lead and copper also increases if the building has been closed for anywhere from hours to months, allowing pipes to leach these metals into the water.
Reduced Costs
The earlier companies detect a problem, the better, as early detection can help save money on potentially expensive long-term water treatment or premature equipment replacement, such as replacing your piping system.
You lower your risk of potential lawsuits and legal penalties by ensuring that you're in compliance and don't have any health outbreaks. Having a lot of work downtime due to employees calling out sick or shutting down the building for plumbing system replacement can affect your operational efficiency.
Compliance & Risk Management
Your business has several regulatory agencies to consider regarding water safety. These organizations include:
- OSHA
- EPS
- GSA mandates
Managing your drinking water and wastewater responsibly ensures that you're being sustainably responsible. Doing so can ensure that you can build trust with your employees, customers, and investors who'll see you as a company that isn't a risk to do business with.
After all, a massive waterborne illness outbreak could be extremely detrimental to the company's revenue and reputation, especially if your business handles food products.
Can Hard Water Problems Affect Infrastructure?
When a building has hard water, it means that calcium and magnesium deposits have built up. It's not a health risk to drink, but over time, it can reduce the efficiency of water-related appliances.
Simple tasks like washing hands and dishes become harder due to the resulting reduced water pressure. The deposits narrow pipes and create visible buildup around fixtures. If it remains untreated, it can cause premature failure in buildings' boilers, clogs, and eventually lead pipes to burst.
How Can I Improve Business Water Safety?
Any commercial business should conduct water quality testing at least once a year for basic safety. However, it's recommended to have quarterly or monthly checks for high-risk systems, which include restaurants and cooling towers.
You should have professional water testing after:
- Repairs or maintenance to a well system
- Building stagnancy
- Noticeable change in water quality, such as bad odor or taste
Commercial Water Treatment from companies like Absolute Water Technologies can protect your equipment, like ice machines and boilers, from corrosion and mineral scaling. It can prevent and eliminate viruses, sediments, and chemicals.
Install a water filtration system so employees have access to safe, filtered water. Additionally, filtered water at work reduces the amount of plastic waste since you won't rely on single-use plastic bottles. As a result, employees can be encouraged to drink more water, which is good not only for their health but also for mental clarity and work production.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Are the Three Types of Water Quality Tests?
There are three main categories for water testing:
- Physical
- Chemical
- Biological
These tests assess the appearance and taste of water, which may use dissolved substances and microbes like bacteria to determine the water's overall safety for consumption or general use. The test measures parameters such as:
- Temperature
- pH level
- Chlorine
- Hardness
- Minerals
- Bacteria
- Virus presence
- Color
- Odor
What Are Signs of Poor Water Quality?
Obvious signs of poor water quality include discoloration where the water appears yellow, green, or brown. It may also be cloudy and have an unusual taste, such as a fishy, chemical, salty, or metallic taste.
Look out for strange odors, such as a rotten egg or foul smell. Contaminated water may also smell musty or like it has a high presence of chlorine.
Other obvious signs include floating, sediment, and particles. This type of water may also stain your fixtures. If you bathe or swim in poor-quality water, it can also cause skin and hair issues. People may also experience low water pressure due to hard water mineral buildup.
What Is the pH of 100% Pure Water?
Pure water should have a pH of only around seven, which is considered neutral. However, when water comes into contact with air or becomes slightly acidic or alkaline, it will affect how safe the water will taste or behave.
Commercial Water Filtration Protects Businesses and Employees
Commercial properties should ensure that regular water quality testing is part of their standard practices. Without these checks, employees' health is at risk, and plumbing systems may slowly become damaged.
Letting water care go can be financially costly due to employee illness, health costs, building downtime, and repairs. Luckily, professional water testing and treatment are available as needed.
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