Cooling Towers are common place across Australia and are commonly considered critical infrastructure. Let’s face it, we couldn’t do without them during these Summer months. Unfortunately, around Australia and the world, there are numerous examples of poorly managed cooling towers and the devastating impacts in terms of human health, and less critical, but important, corporate brand. Effective Cooling Tower management is an industry critical exercise.
AS/NZS 3666 sets out guidance on how cooling towers should be managed effectively. The guidance is well established and clear and the challenge Is no longer what to do, but rather how we need to work smarter to ensure the implementation of these standards and to prove compliance.
Do Diligence provide a clear demonstrable compliance scheme across all aspects of cooling tower management. Within our software, our clients:
This allows our clients to make Informed risk-based decisions and feel comfortable that associated risks are well managed.
With so many cooling towers, so much routine maintenance and servicing and so many microbial testing, it is easy for people to become complacent. From the water hygiene company, M&E contractors, consultants and even clients, everyone is at risk of going through the motions when it comes to cooling tower management.
While the management of cooling towers is often contracted out to professional organisations, the accountability and verification of such important work is often overlooked. The service reports from water hygiene companies are not easily understood and not always provided in accordance with contract requirements. These reports are often provided in .pdf or paper copy and this dilutes the effectiveness of the data as clients cannot often see trends and patterns which are critical to early intervention.
The use of compliance software is becoming more common place and more critical for clients to ensure that all persons involved with maintaining cooling towers (and we know there are a few…) undertake their tasks at the correct time each month. The software is used to not only schedule key tasks, but to provide proof that they were undertaken on site and to provide reporting.
Reporting…
Reporting is critical in the management of cooling towers and can be broken into 2 key areas:
1. Regular reporting – scheduled monthly reporting highlighting that tasks are completed. These are simply used to let key stakeholders know that required tasks are being completed and that they are in or out of spec.
2. Exception Reporting – reports highlight items that need action. This is either missed tasks – the contractor didn’t do what they were supposed to do, or the check or test failed, meaning something needs to be completed or actioned.
With recent fatalities in Australia attributable to Legionnaires Disease from cooling towers, the importance of cooling tower management is more critical than ever before. Legislation is changing to plug the gaps identified in the investigations and there is more requirement on the clients to ensure that not only are the right systems in place, but that these systems result in effective, preventative actions taking place.
To find out more and how we help organisations manage cooling tower compliance have a look here… Do Diligence Cooling Tower Management or please get in touch.