Hygiene Group ‘towers above competition'
18 May 2010
Birmingham-based Hygiene Group, a UK supplier of contract cleaning services to the food and pharmaceuticals industry, has further expanded its service portfolio
It now has a dedicated in-house team to undertake the cleaning of cooling towers, water tanks and distribution systems. The team can offer legionella risk assessments and provide a full service to clean and disinfect the cooling towers. The service is initially aimed at the types of factories already served by Hygiene Group - food and beverage producers, contract packing facilities for products such as pharmaceuticals and toiletries, and also hospitals.
In developing this service, Hygiene Group worked closely with sector leader B&V Water Treatment, who also provided the initial training for the team. This partnership can provide the complete range of services, from cleaning fresh water storage and distribution systems, through water treatment in boilers and cooling towers, to a complete range of effluent treatments.
Neil Brown, technical director of Hygiene Group, explained: “Cooling towers are used in many manufacturing processes, and use falling curtains of water to cool the process pipes through evaporation. However, the sump at the bottom of the tower, which collects the warmed water, can accumulate dust from the air, general soiling, corrosion by-products, insects and even dead birds, and so is an ideal environment for bacterial growth. The real risk is that any fine water droplets escaping the towers could carry infections including Legionella pneumophila into the local environment, with a devastating impact.
“To minimise this, it is a legal requirement for operators and owners of cooling towers to keep them clean and demonstrate that they have been treated with suitable disinfectants. This is usually required every six months, with an L8 certificate – referring to the HSE legionella control code of practice – issued by the cleaning contractor on completion of the work. Companies are also legally required to have a legionella risk assessment for all water systems within workplaces or which may affect the general public.
“This service ideally complements our existing range of contract cleaning services and confirms our ability to offer the widest possible portfolio of value-adding services to our clients.”
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