HEALTH AND SANITATION 37
AWWA / IAPMO Manual of Recommended Practices addresses threats as buildings reopen
By
Rich Benkowski , Gary Klein and Hugo Aguilar
As the world emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic , there are proactive efforts that can be taken to reduce the health and safety impacts resulting from the low- or no-occupancy of buildings [ 1 ] .
The plumbing industry and public health officials were faced with an unprecedented circumstance where building water systems designed to supply water to building occupants on a regular basis were suddenly either shut down or had few or no occupants .
The resulting stagnant water conditions can provide a perfect environment for the growth of waterborne pathogens . Low- or no-flow conditions in building water systems can present an opportunity for pathogens to spread throughout the premise plumbing system . Of particular concern is Legionella , a waterborne pathogen that is harmful to occupants when inhaled .
What are the risks to the building ’ s occupants when the building is reopened ? Are the risks from waterborne pathogens elevated when the building water system becomes partially or fully operational after a prolonged shutdown ? How long is prolonged ? Can the risks be minimised by taking certain steps to shut the building down , maintain it during shutdown , and reopen it ? To address the questions above , IAPMO partnered with the American Water Works Association ( AWWA ) to convene a committee of experts from across the nation to address this threat via the development of a manual that is intended to provide expert guidance on building water system safety : the Manual of Recommended Practices . This manual provides sound and effective risk management practices for preparing water systems when buildings must be shut down or put into low-use modes , ‘ exercising ’ building water systems during periods of no or low use and evaluating and preparing water systems for reopening . The manual provides sound and effective risk management practices for potable water systems , non-potable water systems and mechanical systems . For the purposes of this article , we will be focusing on the requirements for potable water systems .
Potable Water System The health and safety of the potable water systems in our buildings is predicated on the regular turnover of the
David Viola , IAPMO CEO
In the spirit of the sharing of unique experiences that shape the plumbing industries in our respective nations , the following article looks at a newly developed manual that is intended to provide expert guidance on reopening building water systems that were shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic . Written by UA Training Specialist Rich Benkowski ; Gary Klein , principal of Gary Klein and Associates ; and IAPMO Senior Vice President of Codes and Standards Hugo Aguilar , P . E ., it is the next in a regular series of similar articles that will run in this magazine .
February 2022 Volume 27 I Number 12 www . plumbingafrica . co . za