HDE Authorising Engineers

HDE Authorising Engineers
Chartered professional with over 30 years of experience in the design and maintenance of commercial, industrial and healthcare premises.
HDE Authorising Engineers
Chartered professional with over 30 years of experience in the design and maintenance of commercial, industrial and healthcare premises.

What is an Authorising Engineer?

Authorising Engineers were developed by the NHS where such specialists are required for large complex buildings with a highly susceptible vulnerable patient population.

Authorising Engineers are subject matter experts derived from several uniquely different disciplines, within healthcare they cover – decontamination, electrical, medical gas and ventilation. Our expertise lies within water and the waterborne pathogens that naturally reside within our drinking water systems, usually in safe low numbers if they are kept under control.

However, more recently not only hospitals, care homes and dental practices are using Authorising Engineers, but Local Authorities, Housing Associations, private landlords, factories, and public buildings. These building owners are all utilising the skills and expertise of such specialists to ensure the correct controls are in place and, more importantly, resources are not being utilised for unnecessary works.

1 2 3

What is an IHEEM Registered Authorising Engineer?

IHEEM is the Institute of Healthcare Engineers and Estates Managers. This institute set up the first register for Authorising Engineers, which was Decontamination. When the Authorising Engineers Decontamination (AED) left the health service, IHEEM started the registration process for AE’s. Since this time the register has grown to cover most disciplines within healthcare.

The benefit of using a Registered Authorising Engineer Water AE(W) is they must have a minimum of 10 years’ recent relevant water systems experience in Operational Management and Statutory Enforcement. They must also have a minimum of 10 years’ recent relevant water systems experience in at least 2 other areas relating to water.

They must also have extensive auditing experience and be able to demonstrate a good understanding of microbiology within water systems. The applicants must submit a practice report on their waterrelated experience and show the last 3 years’ CPD with a minimum of 30 hours per year and sit a professional interview with their peers. The process is not dissimilar to attaining chartered status. The registration only lasts for 3 years when the AE must then reapply for re-registration.

If you employ a IHEEM Registered AE you can be rest assured you are obtaining a competent AE who is an expert in their field.

Why do you need an Authorising Engineer?

The main functions of Authorising Engineers:-

Assessment

Assessment, this is an assessment of yourself or your staff, this is usually undertaken after the Responsible Person has been on a suitable training course and has successfully passed it. This person can then be assessed by an AE who will ensure the person who completed the course has retained sufficient knowledge and understanding to be recommended by the AE, to be given the title of Responsible Person (RP) for the building or buildings.

Audit

Audit, there is a requirement for all healthcare facilities to be audited annually by an Authorising Engineer. The audit is a bit like an MOT, it ensures all your high-level documentation is current and up to date, ensures your staff are adequately trained and you have sufficient appointed persons suitably assessed. It overviews your controls and ensures you have an effective management system in place. AE’s also ensure you are not undertaking costly unnecessary works that can be recommended through lack of knowledge or overzealous contractors or worse.

There is no requirement for public buildings to be audited annually by an AE, but more and more these days public and private building owners are realising the benefit of employing Authorising Engineers to confirm their water controls, have an effective management system.

Advise

Advise, this is one of the AE’s primary roles, which may be very simple or extremely complicated. This can range from advice on new build projects or refurbishments, to ensure your new works are not over complicated and expensive to monitor and control, ensuring your risk from waterborne pathogens are kept as low as reasonably practical, looking at day-to-day issues such as tank or system cleaning and disinfection, to legionella outbreaks, or advise on water sampling requirements and interpretation of results.

What can we do for you?

We cover all AE(W) services

Assessment of persons for Responsible Person or Deputy Responsible Person status
Auditing of your systems, ensuring you have an adequate management system in place
Advising on new buildings water systems and refurbishments.
Legionella Written Schemes of Control or Water Safety Plans

Checking or updating logbooks for recording your legionella controls
Review of your Risk Assessment and Controls
Audits of Hydrotherapy or other pools and reviewing to PWTAG standards
Maintenance documentation of plant and equipment for legionella control

We also provide training having a QNUK Level 3 Award in Education and Training (RQF) qualified trainer.

1 2

Basic Legionella Awareness training
Water Hygiene Training as stated within HTM 04-01 2016
Taking temperatures from sentinels, TMV’s, Calorifiers, CWST and hot re-circulatory loops
CWST Inspections

Microbiological pathogens of concern as defined by HTM 04-01

Advice on:-

Production of sample plans for microbiological analysis of your water systems

For the following, but not limited to:-

Sampling for compliance, to evaluate whether your water quality conforms to regulations and guidance’s;
Sampling for investigation – searching for the cause of concerns or complaints about water quality;
Sampling of new buildings or refurbishments before and or after commissioning to verify water quality prior to handover;
Routine sample monitoring for assurance on controls.

Contact Us

If in doubt or you want an informal discussion, get in touch:

07714 092 168

harry.evans@hdeae.co.uk

Maps were disabled by the visitor on this site. Click to open the map in a new window.