water safety test

[Neil T]

i've been asked to do a salmonella test on a system for a commercial customer. am i allowed to do such a test, as it needs a certificate?

 

[Neil T]

manchester. the customer has been told by the council that they are obliged to get a test done annually

 

[Killy Bing]

Having given it a quick google i think you have to be geared up for it.

it isnt a case of popping a pill in the water and it turning green!

 

[Neil T]

yea been looking on tinterweb myself. didn't know if you had to be an approved plumber with wiaps or something to be able to do it. theres loads of places doing testing kits online but dont think they would come with an official cert

 

[Neil T]

also thought water tests were done on private supplies like wells? the council are trying to charge them £600 for asbestos and salmonella tests. as customer is renting property id also of thought council would be liable for asbestos test and the water test? and as there are houses either side of property surely it should of been tapped into mains so no need for water test?? me thinks council are on the screw :thinking:

 

[Killy Bing]

What do they intend to do with the building?

 

[Neil T]

its a lock up for storing bikes with an office, as they do cycle training for schools and mountain bike days out, only people that use it are staff. going back to my last post, surely council should do these tests before they rent out the property?

 

[Killy Bing]

Do they rent it from the council?
whats in their agreement?

 

[Neil T]

yea they rent from them. they are on a cheap rent arrangement where they say they are responsible for some bills. ive told them to recheck agreement and if still unsure get it checked with a legal boffin. just checked on gov.uk and landlords are responsible for asbestos and water so i reckon council should sort it personally

 

[lame plumber]

what you going to do? drink the water and see if you get the runs

 

[Ray Stafford]

landlords are responsible for asbestos and water so i reckon council should sort it personally

I doubt this applies to commercial letting

I think Simon is right. We are certainly responsible for the asbestos in all our leased buildings - at least insofar as we are responsible for managing it during our occupation.

 

[Cello]

Suggest you contact the Water Management Society. They have members who can do this test for you. You need expert knowledge and experience in sampling (to ensure that the samples are representative) and also you need a microbiology laboratory to perform the tests. The link to the WMS is: www.wmsoc.org.uk.

 

[Ermintrude]

Also shouldn't out let temps be recorded on tmvs? As it's a public building or building public have access to?

 

[Neil T]

Thanks for the info lads, will pass it on to customer

 

[Ermintrude]

Shouldn't the council have passed you all this info in the o&m files / lease documents .

 

[Neil T]

Council told them its an annual check but I have made notes of all info received and will pass it on to them, thanks

 

[Neil T]

Not sure what their lease involves tbh, was just looking into it for them and out of my own interest. Glad I work from home cos if I got a bill for £600 to check for asbestos and do water tests 2 months into lease I wouldn't be chuffed

 

[Ermintrude]

Asbestos checks should have been done along time ago by council as they I believe were required to survey and document all assets back in 1990's?

Also unless you are making any structural modifications or removing any parts of the building fabric then I see no point in survey?

 

[Neil T]

I can't see point of asbestos check really, think council are trying to get some cash out of them tbh

 

[Ermintrude]

Asbestos management is a requirement. It's there to protect people. Likewise with a water risk assesment. Water is a VERY dangerous commodity!

Agree totally but unless it's been empty since 1997 there should be a register of ACM's in site . Asbestos is a killer. Do it right it's hard to fix forty years later wen you and your nearest and dearest have Mesothelioma !

 

[Neil T]

I agree also with both asbestos and water management, but property had only been empty for about a year before customer took it on in september. They have also had a h&s assessment done by council when they took it on that's why I was questioning the councils desire to charge them for the checks. Seems a bit cheeky to me, but I suppose on what the fine print in their agreement says