Council administers the following public health services within the community:
Skin penetrations register
Public health legislation regulates body decorating and grooming practices carried out by people who are not registered as health professionals. This industry generally includes:
- Body, nose and ear piercing
- Blood Cholesterol and glucose measurement
Council is required to keep a register of all skin penetration premises and administer an annual inspection program to ensure that relevant public health standards are being maintained.
Cooling towers register
A cooling tower is a device that lowers the temperature of the water or other liquids by the process of evaporative cooling or an evaporative condenser that has an incorporated device containing either a refrigerant or heat exchanger. Legionnaires disease can be associated with contaminated water including cooling tower water systems and spas, with most of Australia’s outbreaks being linked to cooling towers.
Under relevant public health legislation, Council maintains a register of water cooling systems within the Cowra Local Government Area. Property owners with cooling towers must notify Council and install the system in accordance with relevant Australian Standards.
Public swimming pools
Council is responsible for carrying out an annual inspection of public swimming pools, spas and baths to ensure they are complying with statutory requirements to ensure health and safety standards are upheld at all times.
Community Sharps
Council also plays a key role in administering the Cowra Community Sharps Management Program. This program is designed to help educate users of community sharps and to eliminate the risk of community sharps being disposed of incorrectly and causing harm to people.
Community Sharps refers to needles, syringes, lancets and similar items which are often used to maintain the health of an individual, a loved one or for animal health care by pet or livestock owners. The Cowra Community Sharps Management Program offers free disposal containers to sharps users which can be obtained from and returned to participating pharmacies for safe disposal.
Participating pharmacies in the Cowra Shire include;
- Optimal Pharmacy at Kendal Street, Cowra
- Optimal Health Hub at Railway Lane, Cowra
Please Note: The free Community Sharps Containers and disposal of containers ARE NOT for commercial generators of sharps waste.