Integrating water hygiene into business culture – what you need to know

Integrating water hygiene into business culture – what you need to know

The concept of business culture has become a bit of a buzzword in recent years. It’s used in such vague contexts that it often feels like it doesn’t actually really mean anything anymore, but it does still have its uses. 

This applies particularly to the realm of safety, where it’s never enough to just have advanced technical solutions in place: safety has to be embraced by the people who run the business on a day-to-day basis in order for your approach to be effective. Here’s what you need to know.

Why is it so important?

In short, ensuring basic water hygiene in your premises is one of your most fundamental responsibilities as a business owner. Not only will all employees simply assume that water is safe to use, but it’s also a legal duty that’s clearly outlined in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992.

Failure to provide access to clean water simply isn’t an option. You’ll struggle immensely to attract employees to a workplace where even the basics aren’t taken care of, and if a serious incident were to occur, it could have a huge impact on the way that your clients and partners perceive your brand.

Developing a comprehensive strategy

Developing a Water Safety Plan will be an important part of integrating water safety practices into business culture. For starters, your plan will clearly outline your overall approach to water hygiene, providing a comprehensive reference point for people to turn towards.

Importantly, it will also delineate clear roles and responsibilities with regard to water hygiene in your organisation, with certain people assigned as Responsible Person (RP) and Deputy Responsible Person (DRP). 

Ensuring that your strategy is outlined in such a clear manner helps to cement water safety as a genuine area of concern, showing your employees that you intend to take it seriously.

Employee training

For your employees to take water hygiene seriously, you need to provide employee training where necessary. It’s often unreasonable to expect employees to be able to spot and deal with risks without any prior knowledge – this is what makes safety training such a vital component from a health and safety perspective.

Ongoing action

As with any other aspect of business culture you wish to cultivate, water hygiene isn’t something that’s simply achieved overnight. You’ll need to commit to ongoing action as the months and years go by, conducting regular risk assessments to ensure your strategy is effective and updating employee training as necessary.