The integrity of the United Kingdom’s public and private water supplies is maintained by a number of processes including the analysis of samples from throughout the water network. Samples can be collected from rivers, water treatment works, distribution networks and home owners’ taps and are tested for a wide variety of chemical, biological and microbiological parameters. Water utility companies and private water suppliers take samples from all stages of the water network and, ideally, test them at an appropriate laboratory that complies with an established accreditation standard, such as ISO17025.
Severn Trent Laboratories Ltd recently invested in a laboratory automation system to improve the performance of its microbiological analysis. The system has been supplied by a leading manufacturer of automation systems, which has provided microbiology automation systems in the United Kingdom and throughout the world. Typical parameters that are tested include indicator organisms such as coliforms and Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, and Enterococci. A number of pathogens may also be tested such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia spp.
Due to the instability of microorganisms, microbiological samples must be analyzed as soon as possible from the time of sampling -- certainly within 24 hours.
Severn Trent Laboratories tests hundreds of microbiology samples from a wide range of sources on a daily basis, including samples that are entered onto the Public Register by water utility suppliers. The laboratory provides analysis 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year -- so reliability is critical. By automating a number of rigorous, labor-intensive samples preparation processes, the system not only helps improve reliability, but also delivers improvements in efficiency and capacity, enabling the company to handle an increased number of microbiological samples.
By removing a number of stages of manual intervention, Severn Trent Laboratories also has been able to reduce health and safety risks concerned with working in a laboratory environment.
“Clients and regulators require quality analysis and accurate data on time 365 days a year. As our business grows, an automated solution becomes very attractive,” said Rachel Henton, Severn Trent Laboratories’ managing director.
For more information, e-mail info@severntrentservices.com.
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