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superceded annually by the Summary Table of Guidelines for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)
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