If your restaurant's staff constantly calls in sick, you may want to install a water filtration system for your employees. Water lines, faucets and other plumbing fixtures that don't have some type of water filtration system in place can develop contaminants like E.coli and bacteria inside them after long-term use. These contaminants can trigger a host of symptoms in your employees, including diarrhea and stomach pains. If the symptoms become too severe, your ill employees may need to visit the emergency room for care. You can replace the water system to make sure that your employees and restaurant's bottom line stay safe.

How Does the Bad Water Affect Your Restaurant?

When your patrons dine at your restaurant, they may expect timely service and great food. But if you have multiple waiters, cooks and servers out sick from drinking or using bad water, your clients won't receive the services they deserve. Poor service may affect your standing in the restaurant service industry as a result.

In addition, your restaurant's insurance will need to pay for your staff's medical treatments and medications, as well as any unemployment benefits they need to stay afloat while away from work. All of these factors hurt your business' bottom line, which may eventually shut you down.

What Should You Do to Protect Your Staff?

The first thing you need to do before you change filtration systems is check the condition of the water used by your employees. Since the problem only affects your employees right now, you can check every location that has employee-only water stations. This includes your employees' water fountains, ice machines and employee lounge's sinks. If you don't have time to check the locations yourself, hire a plumber to do it for you.

A plumber may test the water in each area to find out how contaminated it is before offering a solution to fix your problem. The test may include using special strips that look for excessive bacteria growth, chemicals and copper, which can create many health problems in people if they consume it in large quantities. The strips may also tell the plumber whether or not your employees' water stations have the same types of contaminants. If so, the plumber can treat the entire system at once to save you money. 

Keep in mind that it may take several days to a week before the plumber completes the work. While you wait, contact a reputable water filtration system supplier to purchase your new system.

What to Look for in Your New System?

The water system supplier may offer products that treat your employees' water immediately after it enters the filter. These products may have aeration features that remove harmful minerals and chemicals from the water. Additionally, aeration may keep mold and other contaminants from growing on the walls of your filtration system's housing. It does this by continuously creating bubbles inside the filter that shake loose contaminants.

You should also ask your supplier about systems that stop the transmission of infectious organisms, such as parasites. Parasites can cause digestive problems in your staff, which may explain why your employees experienced diarrhea and stomach pains when they became ill.

You should understand that even after the plumber cleans out your employees' water stations, organisms can still grow and hide inside the water lines. Routine plumbing checks and changing the filter of your new system periodically can reduce illnesses in your staff. Just in case the rest of your restaurant's plumbing has problems with contaminants, consider installing a water filtration system in your kitchen and cooking areas as well.

Keeping your staff and business safe is essential. If you have questions about purchasing and installing a new water filtration system for your employees, contact a water filtration company like PFC Equipment, Inc today.