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Knowledge and Compliance

At most facilities, the company physician is responsible for the daily monitoring of water quality, with checking water quality being part of their job description. In the past, this meant routinely sending water samples to onshore laboratories, which naturally had to be coordinated with the helicopter’s flight schedule. At many locations, this limits sampling to two specific days per week. In cases where urgent testing is needed outside these times, a costly special helicopter flight must be arranged; otherwise, the samples will be delayed. With this approach, the quality of the results depends entirely on the care and accuracy of the sampling process, as well as on the variable handling and logistics involved in transporting the samples to the testing site.

Normec OWM
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Knowledge, compliance, customer service, and reliability with a personal understanding of customer relationships and challenges

Supporting the drinking water quality manager

Challenges in the sector

Normec OWM has determined that this approach has an inherent weakness, as there are limitations on when sampling can take place and confidence in the results is ultimately low. Any corrective actions taken based on the results are reactive and take significantly longer than what would be considered effective. The effectiveness of the corrective measures, assessed using the same approach, is also less than ideal and can by no means be considered proactive management.

The challenge for our client

At a site supported by Normec OWM, the company physician (through field tests) observed an increase in general bacterial contamination in the hot-water system. With greater confidence in the results, the medical staff member, supported by Normec OWM, was motivated to launch an investigation to understand the impact and source of the contamination and, if necessary, determine the best set of corrective measures to implement.

Thanks to the ability to effectively verify findings through the Normec OWM field testing process, the medical staff member determined the following:

  • The contamination was limited to non-pathogenic bacteria
  • The source of the contamination was identified as an outdated mixing faucet
  • The corrective actions taken immediately were effective
  • The same problem was identified in other, similar mixing valves throughout the facility
  • A technical measure was documented to remove or replace all defective valves

Normec OWM value

From conducting the initial on-site analysis, identifying the potential problem, and implementing corrective actions, through to confirming the effectiveness of those actions, the process was completed within 72 hours. By comparison, another site using a sampling process on the mainland would still be unaware that there is a problem.

The Normec OWM Solution

What was particularly encouraging in this specific case was that the user felt empowered to take proactive action. This was achieved solely thanks to Normec OWM’s field-oriented approach, which gave the medical staff member the confidence, knowledge, and authority to act quickly enough to fully resolve the problem.