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6 8 PLUMBING CONNECTION WINTER 2016
evolve to include the missing upskilling that the backflow
tradesperson needs to ensure they are worthy of the
frontline health professional tag.
Training the tradesperson is great, but how do we inform
the community; the mums and dads on the dangers of cross
connections and why they sometimes have this ‘ugly valve’
in their plumbing system that needs annual and often costly
testing and maintenance. If they understood that the clean
fresh water they get from the tap could be poisoned by
something they have connected to the water supply they
would appreciate the need for vigilance in its maintenance
and operational effectiveness.
The plumber is the ideal communicator of this information
because they are welcomed onto the premises (often to fix
something) and seen as a voice of authority. If the plumber
was educated in the finer details of cross connection
control, their position in the eyes of the customer would
be increased from that of a ‘fixer’ to one of a preventative
health professional.
Backflow prevention is a necessary and integral part
of the modern plumbing system to ensure that when we
turn the tap on, we get safe drinking water. We know this,
but it is the what, the how and the why that is difficult to
communicate to the everyday water drinker.
Contact:
Peter McLennan has been involved with Backflow
Prevention in Australia since the late 1980s. is the
President of the Backflow Prevention Association of
Australia Inc., and Secretary of the Backflow Prevention
Association of Australia Inc. Queensland Chapter. Visit
to find out more about how the Backflow
Prevention Association of Australia Inc. can help you
understand Cross Connection Control and Backflow
Prevention.
THE PLUMBETTE
The World Plumbing Day breakfast introduced the audience to a
remarkable lady called Rebecca Senyard. Bec is a wonder woman.
She is a plumber, a mum, a wife, and a plumbing advocate that has
recently been honoured with the Queensland Women in Plumbing
Ambassadorship Award. What shone through for me was her desire
to demystify the plumber stereotype and relate to the person next
door.
She does this (I suppose in her spare time) through her blog The
Plumbette. She writes about her experiences being a plumber and
a mother. She writes the blog in a way to explain why plumbers do
what they do and teach others what to look out for when hiring a
tradesperson. Check it out at . She is
inspirational in the way she communicates every day plumbing talk
to her audience and has mastered the information barrier often
experienced between tradespeople and their customers.
A CELEBRATION OF WHAT MEN
DO WITH THEIR SPARE TIME
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BACKFLOW PREVENTION
PETER MCLENNAN