Water quality in health care settings should be of the highest standard. For health care professionals like medical technicians, it could mean error-free sterile processing and equipment longevity. For patients, it entails safer environments as they focus on their health and well-being.
To maintain this standard, it is critical to comply with complex water-treatment regulations. We partnered with Chardon Laboratories to bring you this comprehensive guide to complying with industry health and safety standards.
The Importance of Water Quality Regulations
Health care settings must adhere to various standards to improve water quality. The ANSI/AAMI ST108 is a great example of this, as it discusses the selection and maintenance of effective water quality for medical devices. It lists three types of water quality relevant to medical device processing.
- Utility water: Water utilized for flushing, washing and immediate rinsing for cleaning and disinfection can require extra treatment to control bacteria.
- Critical water: Water used for final rinsing or steam generation in medical device processing requires more thorough treatment. Pretreatment, primary treatment and final treatment are carried out to ensure complete removal of harmful microorganisms.
- Steam: Steam should be generated by a centralized boiler or heat exchanger. Ideally, it is generated near the sterilizer to avoid further contamination before processing.
Hindrances in Performing Water Treatment
Hospitals are moist environments where bacteria can thrive. Without effective water treatment systems, achieving proper disinfection is difficult. Additionally, not all facilities have reliable water access – only 78% worldwide meet basic service levels in 2025. These limited resources make it challenging to maintain hygiene and to process devices effectively.
How Does Water Treatment Impact Compliance With Health and Safety Regulations?
Health and safety regulations value the importance of making environments safe for all people. Given water’s critical role in health care, your treatment plan can make a difference.
Chardon Labs has expertise in developing formal Water Management Plans that are structured to meet complex standards, such as ASHRAE 188. Its technicians are ASSE 12080 and ISO 9000-certified, which means they have received specialized training to correctly implement and document safety and compliance protocols.
Its service-based model ensures a dedicated partnership focused on maintaining long-term compliance rather than simply selling chemicals. You can work with them on getting clean water and effective filtration for laboratory procedures, surgical instrument cleaning and laundry tasks.
Benefits of Meeting Water Treatment Standards
Meeting water treatment standards can offer a range of benefits for your health care facility. Here are just a few examples.
- Improves patient safety: Treated water can reduce contamination and the spread of bacteria across medical instruments and other systems.
- Achieves regulatory compliance: Adhering to health and safety standards can prevent financial and legal repercussions that could lead to your health care facility ceasing operations.
- Lengthens device lifespan: Water treatment can optimize medical device processing and improve device longevity. That said, it is still recommended to reduce excessive sterilization to assist with the lifespan of surgical instruments.
- Lessens downtime: With water treatment, there will be fewer hiccups during sterilization and related processes. The fewer delays, the greater the long-term cost savings your facility will achieve.
Ensure Healthy and Safety Compliance with Water Treatment
Water treatment is critical when adhering to modern health and safety standards. Hospital settings should prioritize these processes to improve water quality and create a safer environment for both patients and professionals.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are frequently asked questions to understand the importance of water treatment further.
What Is the Main Purpose of a Water Management Plan?
A health care water management plan identifies hazardous conditions that promote the growth and spread of waterborne pathogens. With that information, specialists can develop strategies to ensure water cleanliness, which will be carried out to regularly prevent pathogen exposure.
Where Can I Find Certified Water Treatment Services for Health Care Facilities?
Chardon Labs offers commercial water treatment services for a variety of systems, like cooling towers, steam boilers and closed loop systems. It can customize programs to help treat the systems involved in a hospital setting.
What Types of Systems Require Water Treatment in a Hospital?
Pathogenic bacteria are present in HVAC systems, medical equipment and other hospital features. Without proper water treatment, it may cause infections that would spread from patient to patient, or even from medical personnel to medical personnel.
Why Is Technician Certification Important?
Certification demonstrates that water treatment technicians have verified expertise, helping reduce errors and ensuring processes are properly documented – both crucial for compliance.
