BS 8680:2020 Water quality. Water Safety Plans. Code of practice

[edit] Introduction

The British Standards Institution (BSI) is the UK National Standards Body (NSB). British Standard BS 8680:2020, Water quality. Water safety plans. Code of practice, came into effect on 31 May 2020. It is available to purchase from the BSI shop.

[edit] WHO’s WSP guidance

In 2011, the World Health Organization (WHO) published Water safety in buildings. This report offers guidance specific to water safety in buildings with the adoption of water safety planning (WSP), which it defined as ‘A comprehensive risk-assessment and risk management approach that encompasses all steps in water supply, from catchment to consumer.’

Recommendations in the WHO WSP report have been applied throughout the world and are supported by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) of England and Wales.

In its efforts to ensure the quality of water supplied up to the point of use, the WHO report recommends three components of a WSP, which were integrated into BS 8680:2020 Water quality. Water safety plans. Code of practice:

• Assessing the system to determine whether the provider as a whole can deliver water of a sufficient quality. What systems are present? Where are they? Who uses them?
• Monitoring control measures in the supply chain that are of particular importance in securing water safety. How should this be monitored? When should it be inspected?
• Adopting a management approach that describes the actions to be undertaken from normal conditions to extreme events and relays how they will be communicated to the various stakeholders. Who is responsible? What decisions are made?

[edit] BS 8680:2020 scope

In addition to the WHO WSP guidance, the BS 8680:2020 code of practice integrates some specifics encountered in UK legislation and regulations (and therefore goes beyond the simple legionella risk assessment encountered in most buildings and workplaces). It also cross references BS 8580-1:2019 Water quality. Risk assessments for Legionella control. Code of practice, which deals with the risk assessments for Legionella.

BS 8680:2020 looks at all water systems, assessing their risk, monitoring the identified mitigation measures for those risks and outlining the implementation of an adequate management scheme.

The standard is designed to be used by anyone involved in ensuring water is safe and fit for purpose at the point of use. This includes those responsible for:

• Design and specification.
• Construction and installation.
• Commissioning.
• Maintenance.
• Operation.
• Alteration and refurbishment.
• Deconstruction.

As indicated by the intended audience of the standard, its guidance covers the entire lifespan of a building - from conception and design to alteration or decommissioning.

[edit] Related articles

• British Standards Institution BSI.
• Back to the workplace: are you prepared?
• Drinking Water Inspectorate.
• Legionnaires' disease.
• Ofwat.
• Planning for water safety in buildings and workplaces.
• Water safety plan WSP.

[edit] External resources

• BSI, BS 8580-1:2019 Water quality. Risk assessments for Legionella control. Code of practice.
• BSI, BS 8680:2020 Water quality. Water safety plans. Code of practice.
• WHO, Water safety in buildings.