Using your office water cooler safely during COVID-19
It is a known fact that staying hydrated is essential to maintain a healthy immune system. During the time of a pandemic, it is especially important to ensure the water that you are drinking is clean and fresh. A water filtration system or a water cooler is a great way to conveniently access purified water. People will drink more water if it’s convenient and great tasting. However, some businesses are wondering whether it’s safe to use their water cooler during COVID-19.
The good news is that COVID-19 is not known to be transmitted through the water supply and/or water dispensers. In fact, the virus has not been detected in municipal drinking water. Lucid Water uses a 3-stage ultra filtration process that is designed specifically to remove impurities from British Columbia’s water supply. This process ensures that your water is clean, fresh and pure. Plus, it makes your water taste much better.
However, water dispensers can be considered a “high touch” surface, and during the time of a pandemic this needs to be addressed.
Is it safe to use your water cooler during the COVID-19 pandemic?
The answer is yes, as long as your cooler is sanitized and maintained properly. At Lucid Water, we thoroughly sanitize our coolers on a regular basis as part of our maintenance service. Health authorities recommend that a schedule should be posted by the cooler to indicate cleaning dates and times. Lucid Water technicians will place a service sticker that will state last service date and time. Our recent blog on the importance of sanitizing and maintaining your water dispensing systems has additional details on our high standard sanitization process.
What should employers do to ensure cooler surfaces are clean?
Employers need to follow a few simple steps to ensure the high touch surfaces such as water dispensers remain clean. The following procedures and best practices are recommended by health experts in BC:
A hand hygiene station (example: alcohol based hand sanitizer or a sink with soap & water) should be located close to your drinking water dispenser.
Alternatively, paper towels can be used while turning on the tap lever.
Water spout and cooler taps should be disinfected a minimum of twice a day with a disinfecting wipe or a cleaning solution. Read CDC guidelines here for more information on cleaning and disinfecting.
Encourage employees to have their masks on while using the water dispenser.
Remind employees to maintain social distancing while using the water cooler. Have your “water cooler talk” via Zoom instead while sipping on clean & fresh water!
For your convenience, we’ve put together a sample poster that can be placed on your cooler to remind employees to follow these steps. Download and print the poster here.
If you have any questions on how to ensure your home or office water dispensing system is properly sanitized, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to assist you, especially during these uncertain times for many businesses. We are here for you.