Building water systems can be dangerous if they’re poorly designed and managed – yet it’s a problem that’s easily solved by a proper Water Safety Plan.

People can make the mistake of assuming that because the public water supply into their building is safe, the water in the building must be safe also.

But of course, this overlooks the risk of microbial contamination or chemical contamination within the building. Or that its water system could harbor opportunistic waterborne pathogens.

To tackle these risks head-on, we have British Standard: BS 8680:2020 Water quality. Water Safety Plans. Code of practice.

What are Water Safety Plans?

Water Safety Plans (WSP) are the most effective way to consistently ensure the safety of drinking water.

It provides a comprehensive risk-management approach. This is based on identifying all the significant risks to public health, ensuring that effective controls and barriers are applied to minimize these risks to acceptable levels, and monitoring the operation of the controls and barriers to ensure that safety is maintained.

The WSP approach was originally developed by the World Health Organization to give water providers guidance on managing drinking water quality. It’s now widely applied throughout the world. It asks building water systems designers to acknowledge the potential for harm from water contamination by minimizing the potential for ingress and by ensuring there are effective interventions to mitigate any potential risks.

This approach ensures the quality of water supplied up to the point of use.

How Does BS 8680 Ensure Water Quality?

The BS 8680 provides a useful tool to ensure all aspects of risk arising from water have been considered and managed appropriately.

BS 8680 applies to the development of WSPs for new buildings, as well as to modifications and renovations to existing water systems. It can also be applied retrospectively to control risks to health from all types of water use.

Irrespective of when they are developed, WSPs should be reviewed periodically to ensure that they are current and fit for purpose, especially if there have been significant changes to the system or its management.

This standard:

• Provides authoritative recommendations and guidance for Water Safety Planning to help ensure public health and safety

• Provides a preventative risk-management approach, based on a method developed by the World Health Organization

• Supplements UK national guidance for healthcare premises

• It will assist Water Safety Groups to ensure they have a holistic approach to water safety across all types of systems and equipment which use or contain water

• Can be applied to all types of premises and undertakings with water systems that can pose a risk to those exposed, either from the water itself or aerosols

• Can be applied retrospectively to control risks to health from all types of water use

Who Should Adopt Standard BS 8680?

BS 8680 is designed to be used by anyone involved in ensuring water is safe and fit for purpose at the point of use.

This includes duty holders, appointed responsible/accountable persons, WSGs, and all those who have an influence on the safety of water systems – i.e. anyone with responsibilities during the development process for new and refurbished/upgraded systems from tender specification; design; purchasing; installation and commissioning right up to operation; maintenance and repair of water systems and related equipment.

There is no doubt that using standards can ensure the quality of the water supply to your built assets, building crucial trust between you and the rest of the project stakeholders. With a BSI Knowledge subscription, construction quality management is at your fingertips with instant access to over 10,000 best practice documents related to the construction industry. It puts the control in your hands, with traceability to monitor and demonstrate your business's access to standards. Build your own custom collection of standards, or opt for access to our GBM48 Construction in General module and keep up-to-date with any relevant changes to your standards strategy. Request to learn more.

Want Further Guidance on Implementing BS 8680?

For additional support in implementing standard BS 8680, we have our Water Quality solution pack.

This solution pack includes both the BS 8680 standard and expert commentary, to further help your business adopt an efficient and effective Water Safety Plan.

Ensure you are managing risks in your water system effectively, by buying our Water Quality solution pack today.