The role of AE in both water and fire safety

Speaking following the day’s first presentation, by IHEEM President, Paul Fenton, at an IHEEM online event in June focusing on the important role that Authorising Engineers play in the smooth and safe running of hospitals (see also pages 17-20, and 22-23), IHEEM AE (Water), and renowned water safety system expert, David Harper, discussed some of his experience ‘at the sharp end’ – including as an expert witness – which he said underlined the value of being an independent IHEEM-registered AE. His webinar address was followed by a look, by the Chair of IHEEM’s Fire Safety Technical Platform, and Fire Safety Lead at NHSE/I, Mazin Daoud, at the Institute’s recent work to create a register for fire risk assessors.

The presentation by David Harper, who has a reputation as one of the world’s leading experts – engineering-wise – on water safety, and transmission of Legionella in particular, formed part of the opening session of the IHEEM webinar on 9 June entitled ‘The importance of the role of an IHEEM Authorising Engineer'. David Harper spoke immediately following IHEEM’s President, Paul Fenton, who, in the opening address, had described a comprehensive review by IHEEM initiated in 2019 of the Terms of Reference for its Technical Platforms, and its AE Boards of Registration. He began: “My contribution or the next 15 or so minutes will be to discuss some of my experience at what I might describe as ‘the pointed end’ of healthcare water safety. I started out as a hospital engineer, with a grand title in those days of Chief Superintendent Engineer, at a hospital in Middlesex back in 1967. Then, with various subsequent names of senior engineer, hospital engineer, and Estates manager, I landed up at Kingston District General Hospital in Surrey just outside London. The experience we had then was unbelievable, because in in July 1979 the first ever UK outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in a hospital occurred – at Kingston District General Hospital. In those early days, I’d never even heard of Legionnaires’ disease, but I soon got to grips with it, I can assure you.”

Cooling tower source