Papers

World Plumbing Council
Secretariat
P.O. Box 2005, MARMION
Western Australia 6020
Tel: +61 8 9448 0430
Fax: +61 8 9448 0420
secretariat@worldplumbing.org

The Role of the Plumbing Industry in Global Health

In this paper, Robert Burgon, Deputy Chairman of the World Plumbing Council (WPC), outlines its mission and objectives, and stresses the importance of plumbing as a contributor to global health, citing historic and recent examples of the way in which plumbing and public health are linked.

It suggests that the connection between plumbing and health has been largely forgotten in many developed countries. The paper refers to the joint publication by WPC and the World Health Organisation (WHO) of "Health Aspects of Plumbing" which aims to assist developing countries tackle the issues relating to the improvement of health through water supply and sanitation.

The paper refers to the importance of both industry and public education and refers to a number of initiatives being carried out to share good practice in the field of plumbing training. These include the WPC's annual Lecturers/Trainers Scholarship.

Reference is also made to the need for appropriate registration and licensing arrangements. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future action.

Health Aspects of Plumbing

The World Health Organization and the World Plumbing Council present this publication on health aspects of plumbing noting that sustainable health, especially for children, is not possible without access to safe drinking-water and basic sanitation facilities.

This publication describes the processes involved in the design, installation and maintenance of effective plumbing systems. It recommends a number of plumbing system design and installation specifications that have demonstrated their validity from years of experience. It also examines the microbiological, chemical, physical and financial risks associated with plumbing, outlines the major risk management approaches that are used in the plumbing industry and emphasizes the importance of measures to conserve supplies of safe drinking-water.

This publication is dedicated to assisting in achieving the best possible plumbing levels to ensure the highest health benefits from use of sound plumbing practices. It is aimed at administrators and plumbers working in areas that are served by a mains drinking-water supply or sewerage system, or are about to install a mains drinking-water supply or sewerage system. It should be of particular value to those working in countries or areas that are in the early stages of introducing effective plumbing systems.

More details, including transcripts and radio interviews, are available on the WHO website.

Environmental Aspects of Plumbing

The World Plumbing Council is pleased to announce the online publication of the first issue of “Environmental Aspects of Plumbing” (EAP). This publication which has been compiled by WPC Executive Board Directors Blane Judd (UK) and Richard J Prospal (USA), demonstrates the important role played by today’s plumbing industry in a wide range of environmental issues.

EAP (which is seen as a companion document to the existing WPC/World Health Organisation publication, “Health Aspects of Plumbing” (HAP)), will be updated regularly and future editions will include case study contributions which are now being invited.