The risk
associated with a filtration system depends upon the quality of the
equipment employed. In order to reduce the risk associated with the shell,
flanges, laterals etc the filter should comply with a quality standard and
regulations
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German swimming pool standards DIN 19643 and DIN 19605
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The standards do not permit a lateral
arrangement, nozzle should be used with a nozzle plate or a nozzle pipe
arrangement must be used
-
Construction of vessel is in accordance to British Standards
BS4994 and German regulations AD-Merkblatt 2000 for wall thickness
-
Filters should comply with and be
provided with a pressure test certificate
-
Filters to be installed and operated in
accordance with DIN standard regulation,
-
Manhole access in accordance
British Standards BS 470 states minimum diameter is 460mm
for persons wearing air-line breathing apparatus
Filter shell
Hazard associated with a failure of the shell or
pressure fitting under pressure. The filter may be under a considerable
pressure, if a filter were to catastrophically fail, the expelled
components may cause physical injury or death. The plant room may also
flood, leading to a risk of drowning
Collectors
Failure of the collector system leading to the
discharge of filter media into the pool. There is an abrasion risk
associate with rubbing against the filter media. The media can contain
millions of bacteria, protozoa, parasites etc per gram, there is
therefore a risk to the public from contracting a disease or infection
arising from a failed collector system.
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| A range of
different types of filter media are now available for the swimming pool
industry. The Risk Analysis is not a measurement of how appropriate a
media is for a specific application but rather what risk there is associated
with the media in the application. There three aspects to the
associated risk. 1. a risk to the maintenance company in filling
the filters, 2., risk to public water quality operational risks, and 3. risk
to the public associate with loss of media from the filter which enters the
pool.
|
Filter media |
Risk associate with filter media |
| |
1.
Risk to maintenance company |
2. Public risk from water quality issues |
3. Risk to public from failed collectors with media
entering the pool |
| |
Dust, silicosis |
water quality (trichloramines & respiratory issues) |
Bacteria and infectious organisms |
abrasion risk to public from media in pool |
Bacteria and infectious organisms |
Risk score |
| AFM |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
6 |
| Sand |
3 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
11 |
|
Zeolite |
4 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
16 |
|
Activated carbon |
1 |
4 |
4 |
1 |
4 |
14 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Risk index, 1= low to no risk,
2 = medium risk, 3 = high risk 4 = very high risk
Perceived risk associated with AFM
External, skin abrasion & cuts, eyes
AFM is manufactured from glass as the raw material.
AFM has been certified for use in Drinking Water by the Secretary of State
for the UK under Regulation 31 of the Drinking Water Inspectorate. As
part of the procedure a an in-depth Risk Analysis was conducted by an
independent authority and submitted to the UK Government Regulator. The
analysis concluded that AFM represented a lower risk to the public than
sand. AFM particles are sub-angular and will cause no harm, however
the media does pose an abrasion risk similar to sand and zeolites.
Internal, injection
In then event of a collector system failing a media
may be discharged into the pool, there is a small risk that the media
will be ingested. There is little to no physical risk from AFM, sand,
zeolites or activated carbon. However if the media has been in the
filter for more than two weeks, it will have become colonized by many
human pathogenic bacteria, protozoa, viri, parasites, yeast, fungi,
nematodes etc, the principle risk is therefore associate with the degree of
biological contamination experienced by the media.
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