Risk management plan for household water

Each water supply plant, supplying at least 10 cubic metres of household water per day or for the use of at least 50 people in the water distribution area, must prepare a risk management plan. 

The risk management plan is prepared to prevent and control the health risks caused by household water (water in supply systems). The risk management plan must be prepared in cooperation with the municipal health protection authority and other key authorities and stakeholders for risk management. The risk management plan must be considered in operators’ self-monitoring and in official monitoring of the household water quality.

WSP tool for systematic risk assessment

The risk management plan involves identifying hazards, assessing risks, and determining and implementing risk control methods and their monitoring measures. The risk management plan for a water supply plant can be prepared using an online WSP tool in accordance with the SFS-EN 15975-2 standard. The WSPSSP.fi software has been updated to the new version 9.5.2024. Old WSP plans can be read with the new version. Since the risk matrix was revised, all risks will need to be reassessed, for example when the risk management plan is next updated. Tutorial videos are currently being produced and training on how to use the tool will be provided in autumn 2024.

Impact on official monitoring

Based on the risk management plan, official monitoring investigations can also include variables other than those specified in the Household Water Decree. The investigation frequency of the variables specified in the Household Water Decree (excluding the Escherichia coli bacteria, coliform bacteria and intestinal enterococci bacteria) can be reduced based on the risk assessment – if possible, based on the risk assessment and other requirements specified in the Household Water Decree. Other variables specified in the Household Water Decree (excluding microbiological variables) can even be excluded from the scope of official monitoring. This is possible if it can be clearly determined based on the risk assessment that no reasonably foreseeable factor is unlikely to weaken the household water quality, and if all the other requirements laid down in the Household Water Decree have been met. Grounds for reducing investigation frequency or excluding a variable from the scope of monitoring must be presented in the monitoring investigation plan or sampling plan.