The document discusses 4 steps that Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust took to avoid risks associated with water supply systems in buildings and prevent diseases like Legionnaires' disease. The 4 steps included: 1) Setting cold water alerts to monitor temperature and turnover, 2) Setting hot water alerts to monitor return temperatures, 3) Monitoring chlorine levels in the water, and 4) Preventing water stagnation by regularly flushing unused sections of the system. By taking these steps using a building energy management system, the Trust is able to safely manage its water systems and protect occupants in compliance with health and safety standards.

1. Is
Your
Building
Deadly?
4
Steps
to
Avoid
Disaster
Within
BEMS
Water
Supply
Systems

3. When
considering
a
building
energy
management
system
(or
BEMS),
primary
concerns
are
usually
to
do
with
cost,
func>onality,
and
long-­‐term
effec>veness.

4. When
considering
a
building
energy
management
system
(or
BEMS),
primary
concerns
are
usually
to
do
with
cost,
func>onality,
and
long-­‐term
effec>veness.
But
are
you
aware
of
other
risks
associated
with
water
supply
systems?

5. Presen>ng
substan>al
poten>al
risk,
if
systems
are
not
carefully
managed
and
kept
within
specific
temperature
ranges,
both
hot
and
cold
water
systems
can
provide
perfect
condi>ons
for
bacteria
such
as
Legionnaires’
disease.

6. Legionnaires’
is
a
waterborne,
occasionally
fatal
type
of
pneumonia
that
can
develop
in
stagnant
water,
so
minimising
risk
must
be
a
priority
to
ensure
the
safety
of
a
building’s
occupants.

7. Leading
the
way
in
illness
preven@on

8. Case
example:
For
Leeds
Teaching
Hospitals
NHS
Trust,
infec>on
and
illness
preven>on
is
the
highest
priority.

9. Aware
of
the
threats
posed
by
ineffec>vely
managed
systems,
the
Trust
are
leading
the
way
in
risk
mi>ga>on
and
compliance;
using
their
legacy
BEMS
to
monitor
and
control
water
supply
systems
across
mul>ple
trust
buildings.

10. So
what
does
establishing
a
safe
water
supply
solu>on
entail?

11. 4
steps
to
avoiding
disaster
within
BEMS
water
supply
systems

12. Step
One:
SeEng
cold
water
alerts

13. For
the
NHS
hospital
trust,
seOng
alerts
was
the
first
stage
of
the
plan.

14. The
Health
Technical
Memorandum
04-­‐01
(HTM-­‐04)
and
The
UK
Health
and
Safety
Commission’s
Approved
Code
of
Prac>ce
(ACoP)
L8
gives
guidance
on
preven>ng
illnesses
like
Legionnaires
presen>ng
a
problem.

15. To
stop
water
becoming
stagnant,
it’s
recommended
that
water
stored
in
tanks
is
turned
every
12
hours,
with
alarms
set
to
trigger
if
this
does
not
happen.

16. Regarding
temperature,
domes>c
cold
water
(DCW)
storage
tanks
across
the
Trust
were
monitored
to
check
that
water
temperature
remained
below
24°C.
Email
and
text
alerts
were
also
set
to
trigger
if
temperatures
rose
beyond
the
threshold,
giving
advanced
warning
of
faults
and
preven>ng
disease
incuba>on.

17. Step
Two:
SeEng
hot
water
alerts

18. Domes>c
hot
water
(DHW)
systems
as
well
as
cold
were
monitored
too,
with
hot
water
flow
and
return
temperatures
observed
across
buildings,
wards
and
departments.
Alarms
were
set
to
trigger
if
any
hot
water
return
temperature
ran
below
50°C
for
longer
than
15
minutes.

19. Step
Three:
Monitoring
chlorine
levels

20. As
an
added
preventa>ve,
Chlorine
Dioxide
should
be
added
to
water
systems.

21. These
alerts
should
be
sent
to
building
managers
as
well
as
the
water
treatment
company
originally
contracted.
Chlorine
dioxide
levels
should
be
frequently
monitored,
and
alerts
set
if
chlorine
levels
drop
under
0.2ppm
(parts
per
million),
or
if
chlorine
gas
levels
rise
above
0.3ppm.

22. Step
Four:
Preven@ng
stagna@on

23. Leeds
Teaching
Hospitals
NHS
Trust
used
a
BEMS
solu>on
from
Trend
Controls,
which
gave
an
addi>onal
benefit
of
poor
circula>on
avoidance.

24. Similar
to
regularly
turning
water,
the
system’s
outputs
were
connected
to
solenoid
valves
to
regularly
flush
sec>ons
of
the
system
that
are
not
frequently
used.

25. These
steps,
combined
with
con>nuous
monitoring,
checks,
and
alarms,
allow
the
Leeds
Teaching
Hospital
NHS
Trust
to
comply
with
HTM-­‐04
and
ACoP
L8
guidance,
and
work
with
building
infrastructure
to
minimise
the
risk
of
waterborne
infec>on.

26. Find
out
more
about
how
a
BEMS
can
control
and
maintain
your
environment
at:
www.trendcontrols.com