Drought Rules, Workplace Risks and Runoff Plans

Mark Cave

Right, mid October update for you. Three things, and the thread running through all of them is the same: know the difference between a rule that's in force, a proposal that isn't, and a product that's just somebody's good idea. Let's start with the water.

Mark Cave

A few weeks back I warned you about South East Water pulling domestic hosepipe exemptions and the first applications for non essential use bans. Here's where we are now. On 15 October 2026, the government declared severe drought in parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. Yorkshire moved into drought status on 9 October. National reservoir storage is at 54% of capacity, around 21% below the long term average for the time of year, and reservoirs like Ardingly in the South East and Wimbleball in the South West are classed as exceptionally low.

Mark Cave

Now, here's the bit that matters. That severe drought declaration does not, by itself, create a new cleaning ban. The Environment Agency's own report says it plainly: there have been no changes to the temporary use bans in place. So if you're telling customers everything's banned, you're getting ahead of the facts.

Mark Cave

What about the business use bans? South East Water submitted its non essential use ban drought order application on 2 October. South West Water submitted its application on 6 October. Southern Water applied on 31 July, held a public hearing on 25 August, and the Environment Agency says it's still awaiting the Secretary of State's decision. Those are applications. They are not rules in force. Don't treat them as approved, and don't assume what they would or wouldn't cover until a decision is actually made.

Mark Cave

But equally, don't assume you're exempt. Ten water companies have temporary use bans in all or part of their areas, and a lot of smaller water networks in their patches have applied their own. So the practical step is simple. Before you promise a customer how a job will be done, check the current rules from that property's water supplier, job by job. Check it again if the job's booked for a few weeks out. Then put the method, and the water source, in your quote.

Mark Cave

Second item. On 13 October, the Health and Safety Executive launched a campaign on workplace noise and vibration. HSE says around 15,000 workers develop hearing problems caused or made worse by work every year, and an estimated one in five is exposed to harmful noise levels. Hand arm vibration can lead to hand arm vibration syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome: numbness, tingling, pain, reduced grip strength.

Mark Cave

Is this a new regulation? No. The duties already exist, under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 and the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. What's new is the push. HSE's message is three words: Assess. Control. Protect.

Mark Cave

Think about our day. Petrol pressure washers, pumps running next to your ears, surface cleaners, hours on the trigger. Assess it: who's exposed, to what, and for how long? Control it: look at your equipment maintenance, how you work, and whether quieter or lower vibration kit is an option. Protect: where risk remains, suitable hearing protection and proper instruction. HSE's principal specialist inspector Chris Steel said employers shouldn't wait for symptoms to appear. And the reason is that you don't feel the damage building. By the time you notice, some of it may be permanent.

Mark Cave

Third. Ionic Systems' autumn 2026 update announces the Recovo recovery system. It's described as a professional wet recovery unit to help teams control chemical and rinse water run off as part of a planned site method, with continuous pump out so you're not stopping to empty tanks. It adds two stages, Recovery and Transfer, to the usual Apply, Dwell, Agitate and Rinse.

Mark Cave

I'm not here to sell you a machine, and that's the manufacturer's description, not an independent test. What I'd take from it is that run off control is getting more attention across the industry. But here's the point: buying a machine doesn't make you compliant. You still need a plan for that site. Where does the liquid get collected, where does it go, and how's it lawfully disposed of? Write that plan down before the job. Don't invent rules about it, and don't assume the kit does the thinking for you.

Mark Cave

So, practical steps. One: check the water supplier's current rules for every job, and say in the quote how it'll be done. Two: treat pending drought orders as pending, not as law. Three: review noise and vibration exposure, servicing and hearing protection now, not when something hurts. Four: have a site specific run off plan, whatever equipment you own. Rules, proposals, products. Keep them separate, and you'll be fine.