Do Governance Arrangements Affect the Voluntary Adoption of Water Safety Plans? An Empirical Study of Water Utilities in Portugal

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 1757-1772
Author(s):  
Alexandra Roeger ◽  
António F. Tavares
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Study ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Water Safety Plans ◽  
Voluntary Adoption ◽  
Governance Arrangements

scholarly journals Securing executive buy-in for preventative risk management – lessons from water safety plans

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 682-691 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Summerill ◽  
S. J. T. Pollard ◽  
J. A. Smith ◽  
B. Breach ◽  
T. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Building Blocks ◽  
Organisational Culture ◽  
Near Miss ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
Investment Planning ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Stakeholder Relationships ◽  
Water Safety Plans

Appropriate implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) offers an important opportunity to engage in and promote preventative risk management within water utilities. To ensure success, the whole organization, especially executive management, need to be advocates. Illustrated by four case studies, we discuss the influence of organisational culture on buy-in and commitment to WSPs. Despite an internal desire to undertake risk management, aspects of organisational culture prevented these from reaching full potential. Enabling cultural features included: enthusiastic management; past incidents; accountability; insufficient regulations; image; learning and continual improvement cultures; stakeholder relationships; and empowerment of staff. Blocking features included: lack of awareness and recognition; complacency; poor internal relationships; competing priorities; lack of resources and skills; contrasting internal cultures and a lack of near miss reporting. Benefits of WSP implementation and how management are committed are also discussed. We offer some suggestions to those wishing to generate executive buy-in such as: understanding reasons for hesitance; demonstrate benefits; avoiding complacency; highlight building blocks of WSPs and recognising the value of using the WSP approach to inform sound investment planning. We urge water utilities to consider the influence of organisational culture on the success and sustainability of WSP adoption, and to better understand how effective leadership can mould culture to support implementation.

scholarly journals A Critical Evaluation of Water Safety Plans (WSPs) and HACCP Implementation in Water Utilities

Proceedings ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (11) ◽  
pp. 600 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dionysios S. Tsoukalas ◽  
Stavroula Tsitsifli
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Critical Evaluation ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Critical Control Points ◽  
Number Of Factors ◽  
Water Safety Plans ◽  
Safety Of Drinking Water

The use of traditional risk management systems has proven to be insufficient to safeguard the safety of drinking water. Nowadays, it is preferable to apply preventive instead of corrective systems. Two of the most commonly used systems are the Hazard Assessment and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and the Water Safety Plans (WSPs). The major benefit of their implementation is the improvement of drinking water quality. Of course, the successful implementation of HACCP and WSPs in water utilities can be limited by a number of factors such as the lack of financial resources. However, the importance of implementation’s difficulties is minimal in relation to the benefits that may result from the application of HACCP and WSPs in water utilities.

Icelandic experience with water safety plans

2012 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 277-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. J. Gunnarsdóttir ◽  
S. M. Gardarsson ◽  
J. Bartram
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Quantitative Methods ◽  
Hazard Analysis ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Intensive Training ◽  
Critical Control Points ◽  
Water Safety Plans

The aim of this study was to investigate accumulated experience with water safety plans in one of the first countries to adopt systematic preventive management for drinking-water safety. Water utilities in Iceland have had a legal obligation since 1995 to implement a systematic preventive approach to secure safety of drinking water and protect public health. The water utilities responded by implementing either an adapted HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) model for larger water utilities or a simpler five step model for smaller water utilities. The research was carried out at 16 water utilities that serve about two-thirds of the population of Iceland. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used with the aim of analysing if and what benefits water safety plans bring for water utilities and what is needed for successful implementation and operation of such systems. The results of the study show that numerous benefits and even the process of going through the implementing process were considered to be of advantage and change the attitude of the staff and the utility culture. Some obstacles and shortcomings came to light, such as lack of documentation and lack of regular internal and external audit. There was little communication with the public, although some mentioned that good public relations are important to succeed with water safety plans. Many important elements of success were revealed of which intensive training of staff and participation of staff in the whole process are deemed the most important. It is also important to have simple and well-structured guidelines, and good cooperation with the health authorities.

Water safety plans for greywater in tribal schools, India

Waterlines ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 8-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam Godfrey ◽  
Pawan Labhasetwar ◽  
Aditya Swami ◽  
S.R. Wate ◽  
Gayatri Parihar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Safety ◽  
Water Safety Plans

Keeping drinking water safe: Adopting water safety plans in rural Nepal

Waterlines ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nam Raj Khatri ◽  
Han Heijnen
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Water Safety Plans ◽  
Rural Nepal

Implementation of Alberta's drinking water safety plans

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. C. Reid ◽  
K. Abramowski ◽  
A. Beier ◽  
A. Janzen ◽  
D. Lok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Effective Action ◽  
Main Element ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
Biological Parameters ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
Drinking Water Safety ◽  
Regulatory Approach ◽  
Water Safety Plans ◽  
Safety Of Drinking Water

Traditionally, the regulatory approach to maintaining the quality and safety of drinking water has largely been a prescriptive one based on the ability of any given supply to meet standards set for a number of different chemical and biological parameters. There are a number of issues around the assumptions and the limitations of a sampling and analysis regime. The basis for such regimes is essentially reactive rather than proactive and, consequently, the cause of the concern may already have impacted consumers before any effective action can be taken. Environment and Sustainable Resource Development has developed a template for recording drinking water safety plans together with guidance notes to help complete them. The template has been developed in MS-Excel and has been designed in a straightforward step-wise manner with guidance on the completion of each sheet. It includes four main risk tables covering each main element of water supply which are pre-populated with commonly found ‘generic’ risks and these are carefully assessed before considering what action is required to deal with significant risks. Following completion of the risk tables, key risks are identified and the interventions required to bring them into control.

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