The Importance of Safe Drinking Water in the Workplace

Water is one of those commodities that we can’t do without. Naturally, we find ourselves in a privileged position to be in an area of the world where we generally have good, clean, water. But it is becoming essential that we start to think about the water we drink, and how we can avoid creating more waste, especially with plastic when we’re consuming some good quality H20!

Luckily for business there is already a law that protects the workers and their right to safe drinking water. Actually what is asked of employers is the following for water needs;

• be available
• be clean
• be free from any form of contamination
• be easily accessible & unlimited

In addition to all of this, “employers must provide hygienic receptacles for water – washable drinking glasses, cups or disposable cups are part of the requirement.” Aside from legal requirements, there also some great health benefits for businesses when it comes to providing good drinking water.

So what are these reasons? What benefit would employers get from providing a safe drinking water treatment facility?

Better hydration, better performance

Keeping the body well hydrated has shown to help people improve their cognitive abilities and mental reasoning; on the flipside, the more dehydrated someone is, the more they will suffer from short term memory loss and lead to a less efficient worker/workforce.

General Safety

We know that poor water quality can lead to illnesses but water based diseases also have a way of really knocking a workforce will sickness and long lasting issues well after. Whilst uncommon, diseases such as typhoid and dysentery can cause major illnesses and also fatalities.

Helps expel toxins

A key health benefit of good, clean drinking water in the workplace is better performance, but how that happens is down to two factors. Hydration, as already explained and the second is expelling toxins from the system. Whilst they aren’t health dangerous, a build of toxins over time can cause workers to feel tired, lower immunity and even take days off sick. By reducing these risks with clean water, and proper training to drink more, you will have healthier staff.

Reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes

One of the many added benefits of safe drinking water is that people will, well, naturally drink more. But as described the health benefits can be enormous. It’s no surprise then that the data around heart attacks and strokes caused by dehydration is also significant. Drinking more leads to keeping the body and heart healthy, increasing blood flow, reducing sodium in the blood and in turn lowering blood pressure.