HOT TOPIC Aqua Legion UK talk to Dragons' Den, Steri-Spray UV shower inventor, Mr. Ian Helmore! Review: Dragons' Den - Steri Spray invention Following our pleasant and in depth discussion with Dragons' Den inventor Mr. Ian Helmore, regarding the Steri-Spray UV Shower unit, it appears that the Steri-Spray unit is a robust additional precautionary measure designed to help reduce the risk of infection from legionella bacteria. After discussing the steri-spray technology and the patented fail safe mechanisms built into his invention, it seems that the steri-spray shower unit would be a good device to install in buildings where the risk of contracting legionnaires disease is significantly high e.g. hospitals. However, it remains important for all responsible persons to understand that the units will only provide a final means of protection before an individual comes into physical contact with the water itself. It is also important to note that a number of other precautionary measures are and will be required under health and safety law to ensure the risks from legionella bacteria are reduced and controlled adequately in any work place premise. The steri-spray unit is not a cure to the over all problem, nor is it a device that removes or reduces the legal obligations of the responsible persons with regards to legionnaires' disease. We advise for the protection of you, your staff and visitors that you don't become complacent with regards to legionella following the installation of any type of gadget. We advise you focus on the fundamental legal obligations associated with legionella before spending loads of money on new gadgets. The steri-spray unit however, is a move forward in the right direction. After all, it is an invention designed to help save lives. The legionella and water treatment industries themselves come from the efforts of individuals helping to saves lives! and lets face It, it's very difficult to put a price tag on what seems to be a truly robust and tested product that attempts to do just that. Save someone's life. Ian has confirmed to Aqua Legion UK that his UV system has addressed the issues relating to bacterial clusters and UV light penetration. It appears his device may just be the holy grail of all UV cleaning systems after all. He fully knows the common problems that we highlighted in our previous article with regards to inline UV protection systems and he claims that he has resolved this issue in the steri-spray unit. All that we at Aqua Legion UK can say is that the technology sounds great and we look forward to independently testing it in situ! I mean, if a product does what it says on the tin and its good, then its good! The shower unit also has a range of other built in safety mechanism to stop the shower working completely if the lamp runs out and it even has a mechanism to deal with power cuts? That's quite impressive! However the million dollar questions below still remain. How do you, as the responsible person know the shower unit installed is consistently working adequately without actually testing the water that comes out of the spray head? Is new technology infallible? How do you ensure, or more importantly prove, that the water your employees, staff or visitors come into contact with does not contain legionella bacteria without testing it? In times of litigation, it is about being able to demonstrating that all reasonable measures have been taken to reduce the risks of exposure from legionnella bacteria in the workplace. If you install a product and do nothing else to ensure that the product is working effectively, you could still be liable. This is where Aqua Legion UK's expertise comes in. We are a specialist legionella consultancy. We help clients and responsible persons conduct L8 compliant legionella risk assessments for their buildings. We develop suitable written control schemes and help clients establish and implement these site specific control schemes. By offering an independent water monitoring and indoor air quality monitoring service we also help clients ensure that the control measures put in place are actually working and are effective on an on-going basis. We help clients prove they are doing or have done all that is reasonable and practical to reduce the risk in their building(s). Lets look at the main legal requirements relating to the control of legionnaires disease again. The main requirements under health and safety law state that: - You must carryout a formal written legionella risk assessment (in most cases, if not in all cases). This can be a very simple process for some buildings . - You must have a written control scheme to reduce the risks of legionella infection at work. - You must implement and manage the control scheme and appoint a responsible person. - You must keep adequate records and check that what has been done is effective. - If you have a cooling tower onsite you must notify the local authority. L8 compliant Legionella Risk Assessments, site specific control schemes, Routine Monitoring, Sampling and Testing is the key to any good legionella control scheme. This is what Aqua Legion focus on providing for our clients. From this set of core actions, a responsible person can clearly demonstrate that the measures put in place are adequately working and effective on an on-going basis. This is what is essential in any legal situation and how you keep yourselves, the reputation of your company, authority, employees and visitors safe from legionella and safe from potentially damaging public litigation. As part of our discussion, Ian has asked if Aqua Legion UK could kindly create a link to the new steri-spray website. Please see link below for the official steri-spray website and for more official information on the steri-spray product. Visit the official Steri-Spray website www.steri-spray.com to make your own comments and to obtain more product information. |