Water leaks are something that naturally occur in commercial buildings. We don’t want them to happen, but they do! Just because it’s wet however, does not mean you can simply clean it up! Well, you can … and you can’t! Here’s why.
There are three categories of water defined by the Institute for Inspection and Cleaning Restoration Contractors. These three categories have become an insurance industry (and liability) standard that every building manager should be aware of.
- Category one water is considered potable water. Potable water is clean water that is safe to drink. When category one water leaks from a faucet or supply pipe in your building, the cleanup methods are simple.
- Category two water is considered gray water. Category two water could have begun as potable water but may have a presence of urine or mild contaminants in it. Again, the cleanup methods are relatively simple.
- Category three water is the one you should be most concerned with and is considered black water. Category three water is considered such because it can contain urine, feces, pesticides, fertilizers, insect and animal parts, and myriad other kinds of chemical or biological contaminants. The cleanup methods for Category three water are critical.
When category one water is ignored for several days, it can deteriorate and develop into category two water. This implies that the water has become stagnant and is supporting the growth of some kind of bacteria. Similarly, leaks of category two water that have gone unnoticed for 24 to 48 hours, can develop into category three water.
The cleanup of category one and category two water is something that building staff should be able to do provided they take the proper precautionary procedures. The cleanup of category three water, however, requires specially trained staff using personal protective equipment (PPE) and specialized cleanup methods.
Unfortunately, we often see property management companies directing the building’s engineers or custodians to take care of sewage overflows. These staff don’t wear PPE, have not had the proper training, and are taking on a tremendous risk to their personal health.
The specialized training for Water Restoration Technicians (WRT) teaches students how to identify and deal with category three water. The course also teaches attendees how to, determine moisture content of wet materials, use moisture meters, quickly dry flooded areas, and the important safety and health issues involving water spills. This is exactly the kind of training that someone on your building staff needs whenever a water spill happens.
Choosing to deal with category three water “the way we’ve always done it” can bring tremendous risks and liabilities that the building owner and manager should not accept. That is why it is important for commercial property managers to have engineering staff or custodians who are trained, and understand the risks of dealing with category three water.
Visit the IICRC website (www.iicrc.org/) to find local WRT training for dealing with this issue.