Guidance For Providing Safe Drinking Water in Areas of Federal Jurisdiction - Version 1

Appendix 9: Roles and Responsibilities

Examples

Responsible Authority (RA)

The RA employs one or more persons and includes the RA's organization and any person who acts on behalf of the RA. In the context of the drinking water program, the term "RA" includes each department and all levels of management and, in the case of First Nations communities, Chief and Council.

As discussed, federal legislation and regulations require federal employers to provide employees with potable water meeting the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality (GCDWQ, 1996 which is superceded annually by the Summary Table of Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality). ⁽⁵¹⁾

Although the employer may hire or designate a manager or operator-in-charge of drinking water systems, a duty remains with the employer to ensure that all requirements of the drinking water program are met. This duty is met through a commitment to the implementation, validation and verification of program elements, as well as through the appropriate response to complaints or deficiencies. The general and specific duties of the employer are found in the Canada Labour Code, Part II - Occupational Health and Safety, sections 124 and 125, respectively.

Manager or Water Treatment Plant Operator

The manager or water treatment plant operator is ideally an individual who is on-site at a facility on a daily basis. In situations where one person cares for many facilities, s/he would be expected to visit each one on a regular schedule.

The manager or operator- in-charge is responsible for ensuring the Water Treatment Plant is operated in accordance with appropriate protocols and guidelines, as well as for ensuring that water consumers have access to safe drinking water. S/he must assess the facility to identify any risks to drinking water quality. S/he must also develop a protocol specific to his or her facilities that references any applicable regulations (including the federal ones identified in Section 2.2 - 2.4) and which follows best management practices as detailed in Section 7.0. Other management duties include:

• Assessing the facility to identify risks to occupational and environmental health, specific to the purveyance of drinking water
• Developing a mitigation or remediation plan, including time frames, costs and risk statements, to correct deficiencies
• Developing a training and information plan for the employees who operate and maintain facilities (see Section 7.2)
• Securing services from qualified, accredited laboratories and consultants, as required (see Section 7.3)
• Developing a records system for potable water management (see Section 7.5)
• Developing incident and emergency response plans, including a communications plan (see Section 7.6)
• Preparing an annual report on all aspects of the drinking water system, including incidents and remedial actions
• Developing public information packages ^{(27, 33)}
• Encouraging the use of best management practices for system operations
• Ensuring that a third party evaluation/audit procedure is in place (and that cooperation is provided to ensure that all information is available to the auditor?) (see Section 7.7)

The manager or operator-in-charge must also ensure that anyone affected by problems with the drinking water supply is notified and kept well informed of developments. Potential contacts include occupants, management, health and safety representatives at the facility, and the local Medical Officer of Health. Provincial regulatory branches could also be consulted. A process for notification is outlined in Section 7.6.

If the quality of the water at the facility is deemed unsafe, the manager is responsible for providing an alternate and safe supply of potable water for drinking, dental hygiene, and food preparation. Section 7.6 describes the requirements of a contingency plan.

Technical Support Staff for Monitoring Drinking Water Quality Results

These staff members are responsible for ensuring that the quality of drinking water is being monitored and results interpreted and communicated with the Responsible Authorities. In First Nations communities, these staff are known as Environmental Health Officers.

In some situations, technical support staff may sample and test drinking water quality and are then responsible for following the sampling procedures outlined in Section 7.3 in order to ensure consistent and accurate test results. If a portable lab has been used, staff must ensure that the QA/QC procedures are followed. If a laboratory service is used, staff must verify that the laboratory service is accredited to perform testing of specific parameters. See Section 7.3.2.1 for details

Drinking Water Monitor

In remote and isolated locations, including underdeveloped countries, it may be most cost-effective to have portable laboratories available on-site for water quality testing. In such cases, a Drinking Water Monitor should be assigned responsibility for the on-going operation of the water laboratory

The responsibilities of the drinking water monitor include:

• Sampling and testing drinking water quality
• Recording all results on water quality data sheets weekly and sending reports monthly to the appropriate health authority.
• Performing quality assurance tests on testing media according to the quality assurance plan developed in collaboration with the appropriate health authority.
• Immediately notifying the appropriate health authority for interpretation of the results and recommendations for further action upon determining that E.Coli and/or total coliforms exceed the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality or when there are unusual changes in disinfection residual
• Ensuring this analysis is performed in accordance with appropriate laboratory procedures
• Conducting quarterly record reviews to ensure the appropriate records are being maintained
• Keeping abreast of new information and procedures, including the Quality Assurance Plan ⁽²⁸⁾

If a drinking water monitor is not available, then the technical support staff will fill the roles and responsibilities of the drinking water monitor.

Health and Safety Representatives

Health and safety representatives at the facility should be involved and informed throughout the testing procedure and involved with the communication process. They can reinforce communications made by the manager or operator in charge and may facilitate the lines of communication by acting as liaisons between employees and management.⁽⁵¹⁾