Surgical facilities have become more vigilant in hand washing practices to prevent the transmission of potentially harmful organisms to patients. It's time to become just as focused on the use of tap water in your ORs and on your instrument-reprocessing protocol because water entering your facility through an unfiltered faucet can infect patients. But don't take my word for it - plenty of clinical evidence shows that tap water is a potential agent for transferring harmful microbes on staff or contaminated instruments.