Report to: General Committee Date
Report Authored:
SUBJECT: QMS Operational Plan and System Level Documents Revisions Endorsement
PREPARED BY: Eddy Wu, P.Eng., ext. 2737
Waterworks Quality Management System Controller
RECOMMENDATION:
1) That the report “Quality Management System Operational Plan and System Level Documents Revisions Endorsement” be received;
2) That Council, as the Owner of the Town’s Drinking Water System acknowledge and endorse the revisions made to the Town’s Quality Management System Policy, Operational Plan and System Level Documents as the result of the annual document review; and
3) That Staff be authorized and directed to do all things necessary to give effect to this resolution.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Not applicable
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this report is:
1) To advise Council about the revisions made to the Quality Management System (QMS) Policy, Operational Plan and several System Level Documents, as the result of the annual document review of each controlled document
2) To request Council, as the Owner of the Town’s Drinking Water System to endorse these revised controlled documents.
BACKGROUND:
Element 5 of Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS) – Document and Records Control requires all documents required by the Quality Management System (QMS) are kept current. As processes and activities change within the drinking water system, the Operational Plan, the System Level Documents and other controlled documents may need to be updated periodically.
Staff must follow a Document Change Process in order to initiate any change to any controlled document when there is a need. However if no change has been made to a controlled document for a period of one (1) year from the date when the controlled document is issued, the Annual Document Review process shall be initiated.
During the Annual Document Review process, Waterworks QMS Controller shall contact the author of the controlled document, or the staff responsible for tasks identified in the specific controlled document. Staff shall review the controlled procedure to ensure the content still reflects the current practice and initiate change(s) as required via the Document Change process. The changes are required in order to ensure the controlled document in review is in fact current, and also for continuous improvement purpose.
The Annual Document Review process shall be performed for each controlled document in the QMS, until the controlled document is no longer required. At this point the document shall be removed as controlled document. Waterworks QMS Controller shall maintain the records of the Document Review, and all Document Changes submitted by staff.
The QMS
Operational Plan was endorsed by Council on
OPTIONS/ DISCUSSION:
The following controlled documents were endorsed by Council in 2008:
- QMS Operational Plan, including the QMS Policy
- SLD 5a Control of Documents
- SLD 5b Control of Records
- SLD 7 Risk Assessment
- SLD 8 Risk Assessment Outcomes
- SLD 8a Risk Assessment Table
- SLD 8b Critical Control Points Table
- SLD 9 Organizational Structure, Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities
- SLD 10 Competencies
- SLD 11 Personnel Coverage
- SLD 14 Review & Provision of Infrastructure
- SLD 16a Sampling
- SLD 16b Testing
- SLD 16c Monitoring
- SLD 17 Calibration & Maintenance of Measurement and Recording Equipment
- SLD 18 Emergency Management
- SLD 19 Internal Audits
From the review, the four controlled documents which do not require any update at this point are: SLD 5b Control of Records, SLD 7 Risk Assessment, SLD 8 Risk Assessment Outcomes and SLD 13 Essential Supplies and Services. The remaining controlled documents are required to be updated. Changes required were identified by the annual review and from findings through various QMS internal and external audits. Most of the changes identified are of cosmetic nature such as wording changes which are not addressed in this report. Only four controlled documents required structural changes that impact the structure and processes. They are: QMS Operational Plan, SLD 8a Risk Assessment Table, SLD 8b Critical Control Points Table and SLD 18 Emergency Management, and are explained in detail below.
The revised QMS Operational Plan and System Level Documents required to be endorsed are attached in Appendix “A”. Waterworks QMS Controller has tracked all cosmetic and structural changes electronically for each controlled document, and the detailed changes for each controlled document are available upon request.
QMS
Operational Plan
In revision 1.0, only the term Top Management was used in this section of the Operational Plan. However as defined in the QMS Management Structure, in Town of Markham there are two levels of “Top Management”: (1) Corporate Top Management consists of the Chief Administrative Officer, Commissioner of Community and Fire Services, Director of Operations and General Manager Waterworks; (2) Operational Top Management consists of General Manager Waterworks, Waterworks Manager of Information Management System (IMS), Waterworks Manager of Infrastructure, Waterworks Manager of Operations and Maintenance, Waterworks Manager of System Engineering, Waterworks Quality Management System Controller and Waterworks Training Coordinator. As this section deals with commitment and endorsement required from Top Management, it is important to clarify in this section the Corporate Top Management is the target group. It is also important to highlight the fact that the Mayor and Council all belong to the Owner of the Town’s Drinking Water System, and therefore it is important to include the Mayor and Council in this section regarding the endorsement of the contents of the Operational Plan.
SLD 8a Risk
Assessment Table & SLD 8b Critical Control Point Table
These two controlled documents received the most revisions content wise among all revised controlled documents. DWQMS Element 7 Risk Assessment requires the review of the risks and critical control points identified to be conducted annually. The review must take into consideration any incidents that happened within the year, in order to adjust the risk score as required for each risk identified.
In revision 2.0, the total risk events identified have been reduced from thirty eight (38) risk events to thirty one (31) risk events. Seven (7) risk events identified in 2008 have been combined with other risk events identified because the source of these combined events are the same and therefore the Risk Assessment Review Team has decided that there is no need to separate these risk events. The scoring of each risk event is also reviewed and three (3) risk events received a higher risk score this year because of likelihood, severity or detectability scoring adjustment from last year. They are risk activity: #6 for Hydrant Usage, # 14 for Source Water Quality Deficiency (except Chlorine) and #27 Easement Watermain Breaks (various locations).
For critical control points, the revision
2.0 has identified two (2) critical control points instead of four (4)
identified in the previous revision. The removed critical control points are:
(1) Deficient water quality in the water from source and change in chemical
composition of source water (water coming from Toronto/York) and (2) Fire
Department causing transients in system due to rapid closing of hydrant valves
which could lead to watermain breaks and backflows into the system leading into
a potential introduction of contaminants. These critical control points are
under the jurisdiction of the Region of York, the City of
SLD 18 Emergency Management
In revision 2.0, the addition of the Waterworks Training Coordinator is included, together with the Waterworks QMS Controller for the planning, conducting, reviewing results and recording the test results of the annual mock emergency exercise conducted. Originally just the Waterworks QMS Controller was identified to carry out the above activities but the Operational Top Management has decided to add Waterworks Training Coordinator to jointly carry out these emergency related activities in order to be more efficient.
FINANCIAL
CONSIDERATIONS AND TEMPLATE:
(external link)
Not applicable
HUMAN RESOURCES CONSIDERATIONS
Not applicable
ALIGNMENT WITH STRATEGIC PRIORITIES:
Municipal Services – QMS is to improve the municipal services levels provided to Town residents by Waterworks staff. The continuous review and improvement to the controlled document in place is to ensure procedures are dynamic and current. Each controlled document is reviewed continuously in order to ensure current practices are reflected in each procedure.
BUSINESS UNITS CONSULTED AND AFFECTED:
Not applicable
The undersigned represent the Top Management of Town of Markham’s Drinking Water Distribution System and by signing below the Top Management of the Operating Authority has reviewed and approved the revisions made to the Operational Plan and the System Level Documents.
RECOMMENDED
BY: ________________________
Jerry Klaus
General Manager, Waterworks
________________________
Peter Loukes, P.Eng.
Director, Operations
________________________
Brenda Librecz
Commissioner, Community and Fire Services
________________________
John Livey
Chief Administrative Officer
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment “A”:
- QMS Operational Plan – Revision 2.0
- SLD 5a Control of Documents – Revision 3.0
- SLD 8a Risk Assessment Table – Revision 2.0
- SLD 8b Critical Control Point Table – Revision 2.0
- SLD 9 Organizational Structure, Roles, Responsibilities and Authorities – Revision 2.0
- SLD 10 Competencies – Revision 2.0
- SLD 11 Personnel Coverage – Revision 2.0
- SLD 14 Review & Provision of Infrastructure – Revision 2.0
- SLD 16a Sampling – Revision 2.0
- SLD 16b Testing – Revision 2.0
- SLD 16c Monitoring – Revision 2.0
- SLD 17 Calibration & Maintenance of Measurement and Recording Equipment – Revision 2.0
- SLD 18 Emergency Management – Revision 2.0
- SLD 19 Internal Audits – Revision 2.0
Q:\Commission Share\Operations and Asset
Management\Reports\2009\Waterworks\QMS\QMS Operational Plan and SLD Revisions
Endorsement.doc