What is WRAS?

What is WRAS?

You’ll notice all over the MIW Water Cooler Experts website that we refer to the drinking fountains and bottle refill stations we supply as WRAS-approved. It’s occurred to me that while any approval rating is a good thing, not everyone knows the significance of WRAS. So, that’s what I’m going to talk about today – and I’ll try to keep it simple and brief.

WRAS stands for the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme. And while WRAS, in itself, is not part of UK water supply legislation, the WRAS stamp of approval is the quickest way to ensure that any products on your premises are compliant with current regulations.

What do I mean? Let’s break it down.

• In 1999 the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations and Scottish Byelaws came into legislation. While most of the content concerns water supply companies, the regulations also impact on businesses. The upshot being, that it’s the business owner’s responsibility to ensure that all water supply products on site comply with the standards set – prosecution can ensue if they don’t.
• The main purpose of the legislation is to ensure that drinking water delivered within every business is fit for human consumption – fairly obvious.
• To meet standards, all drinking water provision equipment must be proven free from toxins, resistant to degradation (basically, won’t rust or corrode and contaminate water), and be constructed securely enough that drinkers won’t end up with a mouthful of bolts.
• WRAS approval means that equipment has been tested for all of these things and is guaranteed compliant with UK legislation.

Taking all of this into account, one would assume that all drinking fountains sold in the UK need to prove compliance. They don’t. But, once they’re installed in your property, you do.

In short, WRAS is a safeguard. First and foremost, WRAS approval ensures that water is safe for you, your team and your customers. Secondly, the WRAS mark protects you from the enforced removal of non-compliant equipment when the Drinking Water Inspectorate comes a-calling.

That’s why MIW are proud to work with Elkay and Halsey Taylor drinking fountains and sports bottle refill stations. Their 100% WRAS approval rating (no small feat – the process took Elkay two years and tens of thousands of pounds) means that our customers get no nasty surprises, and we can be confident that the products we install will keep you happy long into the future.