Health Care Facilities Conserve Budgets And The Environment By Conserving Water.
Institutional practices waste far more water than other countries thanks to a series of bad choices. As important as is conserving water, a sound water use policy brings significant savings.
– By Isaac Rudik

When you think of it, no one should really be surprised that hospitals, nursing homes, extended care facilities and other health care providers are among the country’s largest users of water.

Beyond the obvious such as a significant number of people simply drinking water there is – hopefully – frequent hand washing by doctors, nurses and other employees, washing enormous quantities of bed linens and patient gowns or pyjamas every day as well as cleaning floors, walls and rooms in large buildings, preparing meals and cleaning dishes, and using water in various lab tests and other procedures.

Even a relatively small hospital in a remote community may consume a disproportionately large amount of H2O given its size and the population base it serves.

The fact is that reducing the amount of water a health care facility uses can lead to major savings by reducing both lower water and sewer bills. Moreover, many simple water conservation steps can be linked directly to reduced energy usage, resulting in even greater cost savings.

Preserve And Protect

Fresh water is one of Canada’s most-highly valuable national resources. A reliable supply of clean water is necessary to both sustain our population and our way of life.

Yet our industrial and institutional practices are far more wasteful than other countries thanks to a series of bad choices based on the erroneous perception that fresh water would always be available in unlimited supplies no matter how large the population grew or how much water society would demand.

The fact is, health care – let alone government and businesses – have not invested in efficient equipment and many institutional habits and practices still reflect the wasteful attitudes of decades ago.

Rinsing and cleaning supplies, materials, equipment and food tend to use the most amount of water. While these procedures are necessary, it’s very wasteful as currently done. While there aren’t fines for running the tap too long, water conservation and responsible environmental policies to reduce water usage avoids wasting fresh water.

As important as the inherent value of conserving water, a sound water use policy brings significant savings back into an organization, whether it’s in the private or public sector.

One Small Step

A simple way for hospitals, nursing homes and other health care providers to start is by making an easy, inexpensive fix to how devices from dinner plates to lab equipment is rinsed.

The Niagara Commercial Pre-Rinse Sprayer is endorsed by the Green Restaurant Assn. This commercial "power spray" washer in stainless steel boasts a vigorous spray pattern that significantly increases performance and water-saving efficiency.

Among its many features, the sprayer boasts that:
• It provides high performance and hot water savings by using only 1.28gpm at 60 psi compared to the standard 2-to-6gpm.
• It is certified by the Food Service Technology Center (FSTC).
• Reduces water use by up to 80%.
• Offers savings of up to $1,300 per year per unit.
• Passes the FSTC Cleanability Test using 16% less water than all other low-flow valves tested.
• Solid brass fittings mean no leaks.

For example, if a hospital has 10 power sprayers installed around the facility – and large city hospitals are likely to have many more – it will save as much as $13,000 annually simply by updating this one piece of widely-used equipment. The up-front investment is only around $1,000 for the 10 sprayers, a substantial return-on-investment.

New advances in equipment means that it is now as easy to keep Canada green as it is to keep it clean.




Isaac Rudik is a compliance consultant with Compliance Solutions Canada Inc. (www.compliancesolutionscanada.com), Canada’s largest provider of health, safety and environmental compliance solutions to industrial, institutional and government facilities.

E-mail Isaac at irudik@csc-inc.ca or phone him at 905-761-5354.