11 March 2018 is no normal springtime day; it is in fact the globally recognised World Plumbing Day. Initiated by the World Plumbing Council (WPC) – of which the Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineering (CIPHE) is a member – World Plumbing Day highlights the global water and sanitation crisis, while also promoting the important role that plumbing plays in the health and safety of modern society.
While here in the UK, we feel a million miles away from dangers of severe water shortages and the sanitation crisis seen in the developing world; that is not to say that all UK water systems are safe. With longstanding issues such as hot water scalding, Legionnaires Disease, lead in pipework and pollution caused by plumbing misconnections, we are still very much living in a time where even first world plumbing problems can be deadly.
CEO of the CIPHE, Kevin Wellman, commented: “Days such as World Plumbing Day highlight both the good and the bad in our vital and vibrant industry. We know the health of the nation sits on having safe, clean drinking water and effective sanitation. While the majority of tradespeople are out there working to an exceptional standard, each year people are still being severely injured and killed by poorly designed, installed and maintained plumbing systems.”
Kevin continued: “Plumbers are also on the front line in the fight to conserve water, while safekeeping our families and the environment we live in. At the CIPHE we believe that education and knowledge is the key to fighting a variety of problems in the industry. We wholeheartedly celebrate the role that plumbing and plumbers make to our everyday lives, but still recognise more needs to be done to make all plumbing systems safe and sustainable.”
This is why this World Plumbing Day the CIPHE has announced it will be investing further into its online learning resources to help inform and educate not just CIPHE members, but non-members too. Its well-received techtalk and smarttalk websites are being joined with online virtual reality tools, as well as an expansion of its already existing online videos and resources. You can find out more at www.techtalk-ciphe.org.uk and www.smarttalk-ciphe.org.uk
You can keep up-to-date with the latest news and events online by logging onto www.worldplumbingday.org or following @WPlumbingDay on twitter.
