INNOVATION
PLUMBERS HELP TO DELIVER SAFE WATER AND SANITATION Plumbing plays a key role in the delivery of safe drinking water, as well as the handling and disposal of human and domestic waste. Yet there are still many homeowners and businesses who use the services of unqualified plumbers to repair and maintain existing or install new sanitary and stormwater drainage, as well as potable water systems. This is despite the many health and safety risks associated with sub-standard plumbing workmanship. So says Brendan Reynolds, executive director of the Institute of Plumbing SA (IOPSA), the voice of the plumbing industry. IOPSA provides quick and easy access to skilled and experienced plumbers who are registered with the Plumbing Industry Registration
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Board (PIRB). These plumbers are also regularly audited by IOPSA to ensure they continue providing plumbing services of the highest possible quality. “In severe circumstances, a poor plumbing installation may even result in a serious injury or death. For example, an incorrectly installed geyser or hot water storage vessel could explode and harm occupants inside a building. A faulty installation could also cause severe burns. Bear in mind that hot water of 60°C can result in a serious scald in about five seconds – the reason many burns involving children usually occur in the bathroom. The elderly and other vulnerable people are also at risk of suffering severe wholebody burns in a shower or bath
due to sub-standard plumbing workmanship,” says Reynolds. BEST PRACTICE A well-designed and correctly built plumbing system will also eliminate the risk of cross-connections between drinking water supplies and waste streams. This includes in public, industrial and commercial properties where factors such as dual water systems, circulating pumps and toxic wastes need to be carefully managed. Crossconnections are also a potential problem in multi-storey buildings where booster pumps are used to increase main pressure, and in unique plumbing systems deployed in hospitals, as well as dental and veterinary surgeries. (Above): Plumbing plays a key role in the delivery of safe drinking water.
SOUTH AFRICAN BUILDER OCTOBER 2021
