As we draw to the end of the summer holidays many people start to think about the inevitable return to work. 2020 has been a strange year for most of us, and for some, the return to work may well mark the end of almost 6 months working from home.
For estates and facilities managers this time of year is going to be more fraught than normal, due to all of the additional restrictions that living with Covid-19 will bring. In between all of the handwashing and one-way signage, desk spacing and staggered breaks it is easy to forget about the water cooler standing in the corner of the office.
If your water cooler has not been used for the duration of lockdown it’s important that you contact your provider to arrange for this to be sanitised prior to it being put back into commission. You will need to do this to ensure the filter has been changed, the tubes flushed, the tank scrubbed and the outside of the machine cleaned. If you own your machine outright or your provider does not offer this service, then please contact aqualeader who will be more than happy to send a fully qualified engineer to conduct this service for you.
Many staff members are concerned about returning to a place of work and being in closer proximity to other workers, than they have been used to over the last few months. As managers or members of estates teams, you may be asked how safe a water cooler is at this time. Our water coolers are fed by mains supply, so there is no risk of any illness being in the mains water supply. Our mains water in the UK is some of the most regulated in the world. The outside of the cooler is, of course, a contact point. As such it should be included in the regime of cleaning high use touchpoints in any office or school. You can use the same cleaning products that you use on light switches, lift buttons, and door handles.
After cleaning, water should be drawn off from each tap and the drip ray fully washed in hot water. If you have any queries regarding your water cooler please do not hesitate to contact us and a member of our team will be happy to assist.
