Health and Safety – the Water Cooler in the Work Place

Health and Safety – the Water Cooler in the Work Place

by | Mar 28, 2019 | bottle fed water coolers, water cooler, Water Coolers

Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulation 1992, the employer has a responsibility to provide an adequate supply of drinking water. However, the employer must ensure that the facilities provided are done so safely and are maintained correctly to avoid any risk to the employees.

The location of your water cooler is the first step to ensuring the safety of your staff. The water cooler needs to be seen to encourage drinking water yet it should not impede the flow of movement in and around the office.  Power cables need to be tucked away and any spare water bottles should be stored safely to avoid any mishaps.

The installation of your machine should also be carried out by a qualified technician. The EDWCA (European Drinking Water Cooler Association) is an association that was formed to ‘promote, develop and maintain the highest standards of hygiene, safety and ethics within the European Point-Of-Use Drinking Water industry to the benefit of customers.’  The EDWCA only use WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme) approved training courses. It is highly recommended that when considering your water dispenser supplier you choose one that is a member of the EDWCA. In this way you can be assured that the minimum required standards are being met.

By using an EDWCA member you can also be assured that the materials used for the installation of your water coolers are suitable for contact with drinking water and that the technician installing your dispenser is EDWCA trained.

Should you opt for a Mains Fed Water Cooler: a water cooler that is connected directly to your water mains – there are further installation guidelines that will be adhered to by the technician.

  • The machine must be connected to a fresh water supply and not to a water storage tank.
  • The water cooler should also be located within a close proximity to both the power socket and the mains water supply.
  • The EDWCA guidelines advise that the location of the machine needs to be within five metres of the mains supply to ensure optimal hygiene is taking place as well as getting the best water pressure levels available.

As with all equipment it is not enough to just ensure that the water dispenser has been installed safely and correctly. Maintenance, servicing and cleaning play a vital role in ensuring you are getting the optimal value out of any piece of equipment and the water cooler is no different.

Due to the nature of their water delivery, Bottled Water Coolers need to be sanitised every three months whilst Mains Fed Water Coolers should be serviced and their filters cleaned every six months.

Keep a formal record of the services carried out by your supplier, ensure the guidelines are being met and good quality filters are being used. However, do not simply rely on your visit from your supplier to keep your machine in its best condition.  By carrying out simple yet effective maintenance you can easily contribute to ensuring your water cooler continues to offer high quality drinking water.  Empty the drip tray regularly and keep all external parts of the water cooler clean. A dirty water cooler will not encourage staff to drink.

Having a water cooler on site is indispensable to any organisation and it plays a vital role in the well-being of your office staff. To be assured that you are getting the best out of your water dispenser, begin by ensuring it offers no risk to your employees.

 

St Patrick’s Day & the Water Dispenser

St Patrick’s Day & the Water Dispenser

by | Mar 15, 2019 | water cooler, water dispenser

It’s time to get your buzz on, because very soon it’s St Patrick’s Day and all around the world, Irish and non-Irish alike will be celebrating. For those of you that don’t know, the day (actually his death day) commemorates Saint Patrick and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. The custom to wear shamrocks and go all-green (a colour long associated with Ireland), comes from St Patrick’s use of the three-leaved plant, to signify the Holy Trinity.

What might St Patrick’s Day have to do with a water dispenser you ask? Well, if you’re planning on imbibing and you don’t want to feel like a train wreck the next day, then it’s best to take precautions, and one of the most important is to remain well-hydrated – with water that is, not alcohol. So, frequent stops at the office water cooler in the lead up to the holiday is advisable, as is matching each alcoholic beverage with a glass of water on the day itself.

And if beer or a pint of Guinness isn’t your cup of tea (see what we did there) then why not try out a few fabulously green-inspired cocktails

Shamrock Shaker

1½ oz. Tequila

1½ oz. Sour Apple Liqueur

¼ Agave Nectar

2 oz. Lime Juice

Simply combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, give it a good shake and serve in a martini glass garnished with thin slices of apples.

Frozen Mojito

1½ oz. White Rum

1½ oz. Mojito Mix Syrup

½ oz. Lime Juice

5 Mint Leaves

Splash of Sour Mix

Blitz all ingredients in a blender, add ice, blitz again and serve garnished with a slice of lime.

Wasabi Praise

1½ oz. Sake

1½ oz. Vodka

½ oz. Lime Juice

Pea size of Wasabi

Combine all ingredients, stir and serve.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day – remember to stay well-hydrated (the water cooler is your friend!) and enjoy responsibly.

Six brilliant reasons to swap the pop for water

Six brilliant reasons to swap the pop for water

by | Feb 27, 2019 | water cooler, Water Coolers

Drinking fizzy soft drinks has long been in the spotlight, not least because of the high calorie count in each can, but also due to the high sugar content. While fine to drink on occasion, high-calorie, high-sugar drinks, like fizzy drinks, can cause an array of negative effects to your body and well-being.

Swapping fizzy drinks for water is one of the quickest and easiest ways to stay hydrated and improve your overall health in both the short- and long-term future. Still not convinced? Have a quick read of these six reasons to drink more H2O:

  1. Feel Happier

Dehydration can affect your mood and make you feel sad, grumpy and confused.  When you maintain good hydration habits – see the recommended daily water consumption here – you will soon feel more energised. Water stimulates the flow of nutrients and hormones that release those feel-good endorphins you need to feel happy.

  1. Burn More Calories

Drinking more water can help you to burn more calories by regulating your metabolism, which is your body’s ability to convert food into energy. By simply drinking as little as 500ml of water per day, your metabolism could speed up by as much as 30 percent.

  1. Exercise with Ease

Swap out sugar filled energy drinks for water – drinking water while working out is the ultimate muscle fuel.  High-intensity physical activity can cause you to lose water through sweat and your muscles to become tired. For a boost of energy, drink water to reduce cramps and sprains, and push you through that final exercise set or that last 200m of your run.

  1. Flush Toxins Out

You may have tried the latest juice cleanse to detox your body, but what about drinking a refreshing glass of water? Water helps to eliminate wastes and toxins from your body by encouraging healthy digestion and transporting nutrients to where they are needed.*

  1. Helps you have Clearer Skin

Studies show that people who drink more water tend to have clearer, younger looking skin. Water works to hydrate your skin and reduce toxin-induced blemishes, resulting in a healthy glow even your best moisturiser can’t achieve on its own.

  1. Boosts Your Productivity

Your brain and nervous system send out electrical signals to function properly. Having a regular supply of water will help to increase electrical functioning in your brain for clearer thinking, so you will feel more efficient and productive.

Need a fantastic cool drinking water delivery system a.k.a (in simple terms) a water cooler to help you with your switch to a healthier hydration lifestyle? Look no further than to us at AquAid Water Coolers. We’ve been keeping more than 33,000 customers happily hydrated for over 20 years. Contact one of our helpful team today.

*excerpts from an infographic at Unity Point

 

H2O – The Periodic Table & Your Water Cooler

H2O – The Periodic Table & Your Water Cooler

by | Feb 25, 2019 | water cooler

Unless you pursued a career in chemistry, the periodic table is a distant memory – something we were forced to learn in school or college and promptly forgot the moment we no longer needed it, and definitely not something we think about when standing at the water cooler filling our glass.

While we all know H2O is named as such because it has two hydrogen atoms bonded to a single oxygen atom, can you still remember the layout of the periodic table, how it came about, or for that matter which scientist it was that first recognized water as H2O? If not, here’s a little refresher course thanks in large part to our omniscient friend, Wikipedia.

“The periodic table is a tabular arrangement of the chemical elements, organized on the basis of their atomic number (number of protons in the nucleus), electron configurations, and recurring chemical properties. Elements are presented in order of increasing atomic number, which is typically listed with the chemical symbol in each box. The standard form of the table consists of a grid of elements laid out in 18 columns and 7 rows [rows are called periods while columns are called groups], with a double row of elements below that. The table can also be deconstructed into four rectangular blocks: the s-block to the left, the p-block to the right, the d-block in the middle, and the f-block below that.”

While the recognised architect of the periodic table is Dmitri Mendeleev, a Russian chemist and inventor, who first published the table in 1869; it is the French chemist, Antoine Lavoisier, who first recognised and named oxygen and hydrogen in the 1770s. According to the Royal Society of Chemistry it was then either Henry Cavendish in 1781 or James Watt in 1783 that explicitly discovered the makeup of water. The scientist who in 1826 fixed the atomic ratio and came up with the H2O we are familiar with today was Jöns Jakob Berzelius, a Swedish chemist who, along with Lavoisier and two others, is considered to be one of the founders of modern chemistry.

Did you also know that 2019 has been designated by UNESCO as the International Year of the Periodic Table, marking the 150th anniversary of Mendeleev’s periodic table?! Well, now you do –something interesting to mention the next time you’re up for a little water cooler chat.

Love Your Pet Day

Love Your Pet Day

by | Feb 25, 2019 | water cooler

Last week was #LoveYourPetDay in the # world and it’s wonderful to know that there’s a day dedicated to something that brings so much joy to so many of us! It’s well established how therapeutic having a pet can be, in fact certain companies even encourage a ‘Bring Your Pet to Work’ day as a form of reward and recognition – absolutely lovely if your pet is a dog or cat, not so lovely I’d imagine if your pet is something more slithery or rodent-y, but then again, who are we to judge…

If you are lucky enough to work for a company who encourages such a policy, be sure to bring along everything your pet might need for the day, and very importantly remember that pets , just like us humans, need to remain properly hydrated too, so make regular trips to the water cooler to top up their water bowls. Hmmm, equally important then are regular toilet breaks.

But anyway, back to the benefits of having a pet – and in this case specifically dogs, because we’re a little partial to dogs here in the AquAid water cooler office. Mordecai Siegal said ‘acquiring a dog may be the only time a person gets to choose a relative’ and that’s so true. Research shows that there are physical benefits to having a dog around, from improved cardiovascular health and increased physical activity, to lower cholesterol and decreased blood pressure – not something all relatives can lay claim to. Dogs also help reduce our stress and teach us mindfulness.

As M.K. Clinton said ‘the world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog.’

Water Cooler Health – is Mint good for You?

Water Cooler Health – is Mint good for You?

by | Feb 25, 2019 | water cooler

Here at AquAid Water Coolers, we’re always on the lookout for helpful health tips drawn from nature that can accompany your drinking water. We’ve referenced mint before on a few occasions – once in 2015 and again in 2017 and last year – but we’ve never really looked at the herb itself. Turns out, this fresh smelling little wonder packs a power punch of health, has many varieties and is used across all spectrums, from medicinal to culinary.

With more species than one can hiccup at (mint is a great digestive aid) it has been around for centuries. Spearmint, penny royal (toxic to humans), wild mint, apple mint and chocolate mint (yum) are just a few of more than a hundred varieties.

Health Benefits

Prevent Respiratory Disorders: Research led by Professor Ron Eccles at the University of Wales, UK, states that menthol, present in mint, helps in relieving nasal congestion. The strong aroma of this herb is also very effective in clearing up congestion of the throat, bronchi, and lungs, which give relief from respiratory disorders that often result from asthma and common colds.

Digestive Aid: Mint is a great appetiser or a palate cleanser. The aroma of the herb helps activate the salivary glands in your mouth as well as the glands which secrete the digestive enzymes, thereby facilitating digestion. It also soothes the stomach in case of indigestion or inflammation. It is a potent remedy for relieving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

A study conducted in 2013 reveals that the menthol present in mint has the ability to relieve diarrhoea. Also, for those that travel long distances via plane or boat, menthol oil derived from mint sweets can be very soothing for nausea and related motion sickness.

Oral Care: According to research, mint has germicidal qualities and it quickly freshens breath. It also adds to oral health by inhibiting harmful bacterial growth inside the mouth and by cleaning the tongue and teeth.

In modern times, for the same reason, menthol is one of the most common elements in toothpaste, mouthwashes, and other dental hygiene products. Of course, the easiest way to get these results is to simply chew on the leaves.

Prevent Memory Loss: A study was conducted by Dr. A. P. Allen and Dr. A. P. Smith from Cardiff University, on the effect of chewing gum on stress, alertness, and cognition. It found that people who frequently used chewing gum, in which the major active ingredient is mint, had higher levels of memory retention and mental alertness than those who did not.

Reduce Depression & Fatigue: Mint is a natural stimulant and the smell alone can be enough to charge your energy and get your brain functioning at a higher level again. done in 2014 has shown that mint and its essential oil can help combat feeling sluggish, anxious, depressed or exhausted. It can be ingested, applied topically in a salve form or inhaled as a vapour.

Need access to a constant supply of cool or hot drinking water for your mint leaf water or mint tea?

Install a water cooler from AquAid– possibly the simplest solution to keep you hydrated, refreshed and feeling invigorated too.

*excerpts from an article at Organic Facts