Water Online the Magazine gives Water & Wastewater Engineers and end-users a venue to find project solutions and source valuable product information. We aim to educate the engineering and operations community on important issues and trends.
Issue link: http://wateronline.epubxp.com/i/212760
Feature can be readily taken in. It's the same sewer cleaning and maintenance is with your nasal membranes and your the high-pressure jet hose. Because mouth; bacteria quickly multiply when it travels through the sewer and then they're in a warm, wet environment." goes back on the truck, it is also one Take the note: Add facemask to go of the most contaminated tools. For with specs. Suiter, this was an opportunity to The National Institute for synch innovation and sanitization. Occupational Safety and Health He invented the Vanguard System, (NIOSH) has weighed in with its own whereby the hose is sanitized with sanitary guidelines, which include antibacterial-infused water as it travels frequent hand-washing with antithrough a pulley on its way out of the bacterial soap (be sure to scrub under manhole and onto the hose reel. It your nails with a brush, they say) and A novel way to clean a dirty hose also features a manual component a particular advisement to wash up so workers can spray down other before eating, smoking, or drinking. equipment, themselves, and each other. So simple, it almost sounds childlike (cue flashbacks of mom telling you to wash up for dinner). And yet … Personally, I have not seen very much else in the way "You go out on any sewer crew and you're going to of innovation with regard to decontamination equipment find guys who are working in the hot sun, wiping the or PPE, and that may be because we already have the sweat off their face, and taking drinks of their water essential tools at our disposal. Even the system described with contaminated gloves on," describes Suiter. "You'll above is a very simple (but smart) concept: It cleans see them finish up the job, take off their gloves, pick up equipment and people, but it makes it easier to do so. that very same water bottle — contaminated with feces If workers in the field are a bit dismissive or nonchalant and every other thing that's in about following through on the sanitary sewer — and carry proper equipment and cleaning, it into the truck with them. Contaminated clothing and then a little ease-of-use may Then they'll immediately eat a promote more compliance. boots may expose family snack, or put some chew in their Putting systems in place with mouth." proven efficacy may also reduce members to pathogens. Sound familiar? If so, it's more a municipality's insurance costs. risky business — even for the However you get them there grizzled veterans of the sewer, many of whom are under — with updated equipment, training programs, site the impression that they've developed immunity from the monitoring, etc. — the buy-in and follow-through from dangerous bacteria. While that may be true to a point, the workers will always be the key to maintaining their it doesn't pertain to the new strains of bacteria that are safety. continuously developing. All workers need to maintain If all else fails, you can also resort to scaring the bejesus hygiene awareness throughout their shift in order to stay out them. Just have them read this article. healthy. And just so the good health extends to the home, 1. Cantalupoa, et al. 2011. Raw Sewage Harbors Diverse Viral Populations. mBio vol. 2 no. 5 e00180-11 NIOSH adds another warning: Wash your clothing on-site, 2. R Brugha, J Heptonstall, P Farrington, et al. 1998. Risk of hepatitis A infection in sewage workers. Occup Environ Med doi: 10.1136/oem.55.8.567 not at home. Contaminated clothing and boots may 3. Bob Roehr. 2012. MRSA in waste treatment water poses potential risk. Environ Health expose family members to pathogens, and conventional Perspect BMJ 2012;345:e7673 4. B Spellberg, The Epidemic of Antibiotic-Resistant Infection, CID 2008:46 washing machines don't reach the extreme heat required 5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2013. Antibiotic Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013 to destroy them. How Municipalities Can Protect Employees Beyond setting strict protocol and enforcing it (i.e. babysitting), municipalities can make sure that their workers have the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) to look after themselves. That includes Tyvek suits, protective glasses, and facemasks, and it could also include specialized equipment. One of the most commonly used tools of the trade for 10 wateronline.com ■ Image credit, page 8: "DSC_2399," © 2007 Henry_Spencer, used under an Attribution 2.0 Generic license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en Kevin Westerling has served as the editor of Water Online, the Internet's premier source for water and wastewater solutions, since 2008. Kevin's education includes a bachelor's degree in English literature, a minor in journalism, and certification as a Web content developer. He can be reached at editor@wateronline.com. Water Online The Magazine