Posted By cara Is there a reason for the water being 60?

Posted By Taff Hi This probably relates to the control of legionella. The EHO is correct in stating that 50°c in the required temperature but this is the minimum not the maximum recommended temp. in L8 (legionella acop). Ideal temp for legionella is 20°c - 45°c. FYI we run our hot water systems at 60°c to negate the potential legionella risk.

Posted By Konstanty Budkiewicz Steve, I have no experience of "homes", but I agree with previous postings regarding inherent Legionella control requirements. Additionally, whenever, an auditor(EHO) quotes the law, as your EHO has done, I ask for the source reference: this gives you a baseline for future conversation and possibly negotiation. On a related matter: PPE. To protect from hot exposure during sampling - we advise maintenance staff to use Marigold gloves for splash protection: this stops reddening of the skin on contact. Secondly,- energy cost saving - I have spoken to my water process validator about your implied general hot water washing requirements. When addressing this issue in a manufacturing environment, we pursued a program to reduce the temperature of cleaning operations down towards the 43 deg C mark, and lower. This was done by reviewing how we rinse waste from surfaces and the relative effectiveness of detergents at related temperatures. The investigation also involved, in our case, swab tests to identify the efficacy of the derived process. Using a bit of lateral thinking, I suggest that this may be an opportunity for a responsible person to review the current cleaning processes and custom and practice with your staff. From this your organisation may be able to move both towards; reduced water consumption, and energy costs and keep your EHO happy all at the same time. Regards Kon CMIOSH

Posted By Colin Reeves David - you said "Do you also display a warning notice to the effect that hat water can scald?" This always grates. Putting notices up rarely means that anyone reads them, it just satisfies insurance companies who can attempt to claim they are not liable "because a notice was posted". I am vehemently against this and try to reduce notices and labelling to the minimum on the basis that if there are only a few then people might read them and not get "sign blindness". Sorry about the rant! Colin

Posted By Chris Packham I thoroughly endorse the use of rubber gloves when washing up. However, skin conditioning creams should only be used at the end of the session and not used prior to donning gloves, despite what some suppliers will recommend. Reasons for this are:- 1. There is no purpose in creams underneath gloves. Creams are applied in order to prevent excessive moisture loss from the skin. In a glove the opposite is true, i.e. we are concerned about hyperhydrosis, a build-up of moisture in the skin, that can itself cause dermatitis. In fact, if occlusive gloves have to be worn for any length of time a separate cotton glove worn underneath to help prevent this should be considered. 2. Almost all creams contain a preservative. Preservative=biocide, albeit in a very small amount. On normal skin this can occasionally cause a skin reaction. However, underneath an occlusive glove the excessive moisture in the skin can aid penetration and increase the risk of an allergic skin reaction. Incidentally, when selecting a skin reconditioning product, go for a lotion rather than a cream. Studies have shown that thick creams can actually make the skin more liable to irritant damage. Chris