Posted on May 22, 2018
NYC is the only city with cooling tower regulations in the country. The regulatory guidelines for compliance require regular work almost every day a cooling tower is operational, and the penalties for cooling tower violations are steep.
Cooling tower compliance is an essential part of protecting bottom lines and minimizing operational costs. Those who neglect cooling tower compliance work will face severe penalties.
3 Common Risk Factors for Cooling Tower Violations
Nobody can afford non-compliance, but it still happens far more frequently than it should. To help you avoid hefty fines, here are a few common risk factors for cooling tower violations.
1. Improper Maintenance and Compliance Documentation
This is one of the most common types of cooling tower violations, possibly the most common. By law, you are required to document all maintenance activities, maintenance plans and regular testing results. Failure to do so will lead to the same fine as if you hadn’t performed the maintenance and testing activities at all.
2. Not Following Exact Dates and Instructions on Violation Deficiency Reports (VDRs)
Your VDR should clearly show in which ways you violated cooling tower regulations, how to remedy the situation and how long you have to address the issues. Not following these instructions precisely, within the allotted time frame, will lead to far more consequential penalties.
3. Biased Cooling Tower Inspections
If your water treatment company is also responsible for testing for legionella and inspecting their own cooling towers, you may be risking a violation. Cooling tower compliance is its own industry. One of the main reasons that many companies receive multiple violations is because a water treatment company is taking care of everything. Not only is this an extremely difficult task for one vendor, but it’s also a tremendous conflict of interest.
The three things listed above are some of the most common ways building owners put themselves at risk of cooling tower violations. When water quality matters…call NYC Cooling Tower Inspections & Services.
For more information on compliance, learn about NYC Cooling Tower Inspection and Services industry-leading legionella compliance services.
