Drinking Water Seminar on the New Drinking Water Ordinance at VdW Niedersachsen-Bremen on December 2, 2024
The use of drinking water should be free of risks. Drinking water supplied by the water provider is generally potable and pure, but it can undergo adverse changes within domestic plumbing systems. Therefore, drinking water in central hot water installations should be regularly tested for Legionella.On Monday, December 2, 2024, a full-day seminar on Legionella testing under the new Drinking Water Ordinance will take place at the VdW Niedersachsen-Bremen e.V. association headquarters in Hanover. During the seminar, you will learn about the (new) legal requirements that must be adhered to, as well as how to analyze drinking water for Legionella, identify hygiene problem areas, prevent them, and, if necessary, eliminate them.The seminar will be conducted by our experienced team: Marcus Pikarek, attorney and long-standing head of the "Water Analysis" working group of the Gas and Water Industry Association (figawa), and Claudia Wagner, a publicly appointed and sworn expert in drinking water hygiene and former head of a microbiological laboratory. Contents: Legal regime according to the new Drinking Water Ordinance New structure, new terms, new obligations Measures from 100 colony forming units (CFU) Hazard analysis becomes risk assessment Removal or decommissioning requirement for lead pipes "Basics" on legionella (occurrence & living conditions) [...]
3rd RKI Bulletin: Did Lowering Drinking Water Temperatures in 2022 Affect Legionella Incidence?
The 33rd Epidemiological Bulletin of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), published on August 15, 2024, presents the TESLI study (Temperature Reduction and Legionella Incidence), which investigates whether the inflation-driven lowering of operating temperatures in domestic hot water storage systems in 2022 led to an increase in the incidence of reported cases of Legionnaires' disease. The study also illustrates the trends in average drinking water temperatures over time and the proportion of households that lowered their water temperature. These data were correlated with the incidence of Legionnaires' disease cases at the state level. WATERcontrol was one of the six laboratories approached that provided the RKI with anonymized large-scale drinking water datasets from commercially used drinking water installations for analysis purposes. Legionnaires' disease is the most common form of legionellosis, which manifests as pneumonia caused by Legionella bacteria. Legionella are environmental microorganisms found in water that thrive particularly well at temperatures between 25 and 45°C and can also colonize technical drinking water installations (TWI), which are relevant to human health. Above 55°C, their growth is inhibited. During the energy crisis in 2022, there was a significant increase in energy prices, which also made the heating of drinking water more expensive. The RKI investigated [...]
Mobile sampling wall in use since April 2024.
For some time now, we have been considering offering audits and training for samplers remotely. Our laboratory partner Wessling possesses two mobile, portable installation walls with tubs and pumps, which are used at various locations within the laboratory group. Since April 2024, we have had our own mobile sampling solution, designed and built by Zello Tec GmbH. The sampling wall provides the ability to simulate sampling from a withdrawal valve (drinking water storage), shower fixture, and sink faucet. The pump pressure is adequate, and the 20-liter tub capacity is perfectly sufficient for our purposes. What seemed particularly smart to us is that the installation wall can be folded forward, flush with the body, making it easy to transport—if one is strong enough. The entire construction weighs nearly 40 kg, so it can only be moved by two strong individuals. A few teething problems still need to be addressed. For example, the stainless steel surfaces and welded connections were not fully deburred. Additionally, the chosen drip tray is too fine-pored, causing the water jet to create quite a mess. Disposing of the water through a drawer is a bit unconventional, but it serves its purpose. The sampling wall was built by Zello [...]
Support wanted in quality management
Since January 24, 2024, we have been a DAkkS-accredited drinking water testing laboratory with a focus on drinking water sampling. Unfortunately, our experienced quality management officer left us at the end of last year. The new Quality Management Representative (QMB) is a commercial "career changer" and needs short-term support in managing and organizing our quality management system - especially with regard to the technical requirements and (compared to ISO 9001) special features of the accreditation standard DIN EN ISO 17025. We are therefore looking for a Quality Manager (m/f/d) part-time position to support our QMB and our laboratory manager in preparing for the upcoming surveillance audits. The following activities must be implemented professionally or actively supported in their implementation: Maintenance and further development of the quality management system (DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025) Planning, implementation and documentation of internal audits and external audits Training of internal employees Regular evaluation of the quality management system Reporting to the management Our requirements profile is based on your experience, not on your formal (professional) qualifications: Ideally, you have professional experience in quality management in a testing laboratory. Knowledge of the requirements of DIN EN ISO 17025:2018 is mandatory. With your assertive personality, you ensure acceptance and [...]
Conference and workshop on duties to maintain safety on premises on April 18/19, 2024 in Heidelberg
We want to "meet new risks with expertise" and are therefore organizing a two-day event on the topic of operational responsibilities for owners and facility managers of residential buildings at the Arthotel in Heidelberg in April 2024. The conference will focus on new legal and technical requirements that the housing industry should observe in order to minimize its own risk of liability. Specifically, this concerns the new Drinking Water Ordinance, which has been in force since the end of June 2023, and the new Hazardous Substances Ordinance, which is available as a draft bill and is expected to be adopted in the course of 2024. In addition, current liability legislation is presented, as well as a "non-liable" compliance and risk management system. The following day's workshop will focus on the operational implementation of the Drinking Water Ordinance and "problem areas in hygiene." After 8 years, we are returning to Baden-Württemberg with our series of events on "duties to maintain safety on premises", where - in terms of headcount - most of our housing industry customers are located. The conference will focus on the new challenges facing the real estate industry in times when there is less financial leeway for risk prevention [...]
Subsidiary company GAS-Control GmbH celebrates its 30th anniversary.
On November 1, 1993, Marc Vincenz founded GAS-Control as a sole proprietorship based in Steinhude. 30 years later, GAS-Control GmbH employs more than 40 full-time employees, collaborates with over 20 independent gas inspectors, and generates an annual revenue of more than 3 million EUR. The younger sister company WATERcontrol extends heartfelt congratulations on the 30th anniversary of the firm and to this remarkable success story. Today, a delegation from WATERcontrol presented these beautiful helium balloons to Jana Franke, the authorized representative of GAS-Control GmbH and daughter of the company owner Marc Vincenz, who is celebrating the anniversary at the overseas office in Gran Canaria. The milestone birthday will be appropriately celebrated during this year's Christmas party on December 16, 2023, with 100 invited guests. The founder of the company, Marc Vincenz, had the business idea of testing gas pipelines for leaks. This was prompted by significant gas leaks in a multi-family house belonging to his grandfather, which, despite repeated complaints from the affected tenant, went unnoticed by the gas and water installer. He subsequently commissioned an engineering firm to develop a portable gas detection device capable of locating the smallest leaks in low-pressure pipelines. The company GAS-Control originally consisted of five [...]
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