How to Keep Your Water Coolers Safe

When working in the scorching heat, with sweat dripping down your face, the first thing you want to do is grab an ice cold thirst quencher or go to the water cooler to fill your cup with liquid bliss, right? I bet the last thing on your mind is the possibility that germs and unwanted growth could contaminate the contents in the water cooler at your construction site.

The reality is water cooler safety is no joke and should be taken seriously, especially since OSHA requires an adequate supply of potable drinking water be provided in all place of employments (OSHA 1926.51(a)(1)).

A water cooler can turn into a hazard when not handled correctly. Drinking water from contaminated sources is frequently responsible for the spread of diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery.

To ensure workers are drinking from sanitized water coolers, inspect supply sources before employees arrive on a job site and determine a regular cleaning schedule – not less than once per week. After inspection, any water cooler found unsafe should be removed from use. A warning sign alone will not provide sufficient protection.

Here are six tips that will keep your water cooler safe and safely satisfy your thirst.

1. Job site foreman should pick one to two people to maintain the water cooler. Anyone in charge of keeping a clean water cooler should maintain a high level of personal hygiene.
2. When filling the water cooler, select an area that’s free of dust, insects or other environmental contaminants so particles don’t contaminate the cooler. Avoid using the ground or floor when filling the water cooler.
3. Use only food grade approved water hoses to fill coolers (garden hoses are not approved).
4. After filling the water cooler with water and ice, place the lid on properly and seal, date, and identify contents with Potable Water Cooler Tape.
   
5. Never drink directly from the container or open the top of the lid to check the level of the water. Airborne contaminants could get into the water and make the water unsafe to drink.
6. Provide a supply of paper cups next to each water cooler for workers to drink out of. Additionally, place garbage cans in the area for trash.

When water coolers have been inspected and their contents are ready to be consumed, ensure workers can easily identify it by placing a Potable Water Cooler Label on the outside.

To help you comply with OSHA 1926.51(b)(2), “There shall be no cross-connection, open or potential between a system furnishing potable water and a system furnishing non-potable water,” use a Water Cooler Tether Lockout to prevent the possibility of cross-contaminating water.

By following all of these useful water cool safety tips, your workers will fully trust the water you provide is safe to use.

Sources:
National Safety Council Drinking Water on Construction Jobs
OSHA Sanitation

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