Backflow prevention at Sunshine Coast University Hospital transcript

The Sunshine Coast University Hospital is a good example of how backflow prevention devices are used to safeguard the drinking water supply, for both people inside the hospital, and the rest of the community, from any potential sources of contamination.

To protect the drinking water supply from the processes in the hospital, there are over 400 backflow prevention devices. These devices protect the drinking water supply from a range of processes that can cause contamination. These potential sources of contamination include:

• blood contamination from dialysis and mortuary processes
• contamination from cleaning bedpans and other biological waste c
• chemical contamination from cleaning products for cleaner sinks and commercial dishwashers
• bacterial contamination from food preparation;

As well as a range of general contamination sources including;

• irrigation systems;
• bin wash down systems; and
• cleaning place systems.

This type of protection is called individual and zone protection the hospital also has a range of containment protection measures to prevent any contamination from flowing back in to the water main and affecting the rest of the community.

There are two 150 millimeter backflow prevention devices installed at the property boundary.  The hospital also has two 500 kiloliter water tanks that separate the hospital's water supply from the rest of the community.

For more information on backflow prevention please visit council's website.