Horne Engineering is warning healthcare estates engineers in the process of removing the outlet fitting (often called a straightener) of their clinical taps in a bid to reduce Pseudomonad contamination risk that ‘this will actually exacerbate the issue of retrograde contamination, while also introducing other problems’.
The company said: “The outlet fitting is a vital component of the Horne Optitherm tap’s design, and performs several critical functions.” They are:
• The integral flow regulator governs the flow at a constant 6 L/min – ‘optimised for handwashing without splashing’.
• The integral flow conditioner ensures water falls from the outlet ‘in a laminar and steady column,’ avoiding splashing, and the creation of aerosols.
• The ‘lattice’ structure provides surface tension to stop the flow immediately on closure, retain water between actuations, and minimise the area of the air-water boundary. “The spout must not drain down – a process where the released water is replaced with contaminated air/dust/ water vapour from the local environment; in such instances, potential pathogens are sucked into a perfectly warm, dark, moist environment, with abundant oxygen, every single time the outlet is used.”
