Management Systems are the foundation of an organization’s

environmental program.  ISO 14001:2015 has been released,

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Management Systems | Project

Drinking Water Quality Management System (DWQMS)

As a requirement of the Safe Drinking Water Act (2002), all Operating Authorities who operate municipal and residential drinking water systems must be accredited. The Drinking Water Quality Management Standard (DWQMS) is a mandatory framework for the Operating Authorities and Owners of drinking water systems to develop a Quality Management System (QMS) that is relevant to their organization.

Tavares Group Consulting Inc. offers a wide range of DWQMS services to municipalities across Ontario, including the City of St. Catharines, Municipalities of Meaford and West Perth, Towns of Aylmer, Georgina, Pelham, Whitchurch-Stouffville, Township of Severn, etc. Tavares Group Consulting’s services assist Operating Authorities and municipalities through each stage of the accreditation process from Operational Plan development and optimization to conducting annual audits. Contact us to learn more!

DWQMS Subject-system Specific Awareness Training

Since January 2017, Tavares Group Consulting has completed site-specific DWQMS awareness training for applicable personnel to meet annual internal and DWQMS Element 10 – Competencies requirements.  These sessions include a review of the DWQMS history and Operating Authority-specific DWQMS training using examples of the Operational Plan.

Internal Audits

Tavares Group Consulting has performed internal audits since 2015, to meet the annual internal audit requirement (Element 19 of the DWQMS), in accordance with ISO 19011 Guidelines for auditing management systems. Projects include development of an audit plan, on-site internal auditing and the development of formal audit reports outlining the status of the QMS, including findings resulting from the audit and, the status of findings from previous audits.

Operational Plan Reviews

Operational Plan reviews with the goal of identifying potential inefficiencies with the DWQMS prior to Owner / Council submission for endorsement. Project plans include both off-site desktop audits in addition to on-site confirmation of new processes/procedures.

Ongoing DWQMS Assistance Services

Tavares Group Consulting provides DWQMS assistance services, which includes Operational Plan optimization to ensure conformance with the DWQMS. Services have included:

  • Development, implementation, and maintenance of corrective action trackers to manage QMS action implementation resulting from internal/external audits, Management Reviews, employee suggestions, MECP recommendations, etc.
  • Review and revision of Operational Plans and associated procedures and forms to ensure DWQMS conformance.
  • Monthly site-visits to confirm implementation and maintenance, including facilitating tailgate talks to review potential and recently revised processes.
  • Facilitation of emergency response training and testing.
  • Facilitation of Management Review.
  • Support during external audits.

 

 

 

 

Since the inception of the DWQMS program, Tavares Group Consulting Inc. has conducted off-site (systems and surveillance) and on-site (initial and re-accreditation) audits for over 50 municipalities located throughout the province of Ontario, dealing with a number of multi-system Operating Authorities (e.g. Owner-operated systems, Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA), Veolia, American Water Canada Corp. etc.). Additionally, Tavares Group Consulting Inc. has also performed integrated ISO 14001:2004 Environmental Management System and DWQMS audits for Ontario municipalities. Contact our team of certified auditors for more information.