3.6.2 Incident and emergency response protocols
Summary of actions
Define potential incidents and emergencies and document procedures and response plans with the involvement of relevant agencies.
Train employees and regularly test emergency response plans.
Investigate any incidents or emergencies and revise protocols as necessary.
Incident and emergency response protocols should be regarded as a priority. Potential incidents and emergencies should be defined and response plans should be developed and documented in advance to respond to these events.
Plans should be developed in consultation with relevant regulatory authorities and other key agencies, and should be consistent with existing government emergency response arrangements. In an emergency situation there will not be time to establish confidence and goodwill if these have not been established during normal operation. An investment in advance in building trust and understanding with parties who will be partners in responding to an emergency will pay important dividends in the form of more effective action when an emergency arises.
Key areas to be addressed in incident and emergency response plans include clearly specified:
response actions, including increased monitoring;
responsibilities and authorities of internal parties;
responsibilities and authorities of parties external to the organisation;
plans for emergency water supplies;
communication protocols and strategies, including notification procedures (internal, regulatory body, media and public);
mechanisms for increased health surveillance.
Employees should be trained in emergency response to ensure that they can manage any potential incidents or emergencies effectively. Incident and emergency response plans should be regularly reviewed and practised. This improves preparedness and provides opportunities to improve the effectiveness of plans before an emergency occurs.
Following any incident or emergency situation, an investigation of the incident or emergency should be undertaken and all involved staff should be debriefed to discuss performance and address any issues or concerns. The investigation should consider factors such as:
What was the initiating cause of the problem?
How was the problem first identified or recognised?
What were the most critical actions required?
What communication problems arose and how were they addressed?
What were the immediate and longer-term consequences?
How well did the protocol function?
Appropriate documentation and reporting of the incident or emergency should also be established. The organisation should learn as much as possible from the incident, to improve preparedness and planning for future incidents. Review of the incident may indicate necessary amendments to existing protocols.
Box 3.5 provides a summary of an emergency response protocol.
Water incident communication and notification protocol
In South Australia, a protocol has been established between the Department of Human Services, South Australia Water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Water Resources to ensure effective communication between government agencies in the event of incidents associated with reticulated water supplies. The protocol includes notification to other relevant bodies such as catchment water management boards and local authorities.
Incidents are classified as:
Type 1 – potentially serious with either human health or environmental risks, or
Type 2 – lesser incidents representing a low risk to human health or possible low impact and localised environmental harm.
The protocol includes agreed criteria for both raw water (e.g. cyanobacterial blooms, high numbers of Cryptosporidium, unacceptable concentrations of chemicals of concern and detection of pesticides) and treated drinking water (e.g. high turbidity in filtered water, chlorinator failure, detection of high concentrations of chemicals of concern, pesticides, Cryptosporidium, Naegleria fowleri and persistent E. coli/coliform bacteria).
The protocol defines the role of a water incident coordinator placed in the Department of Human Services and specifies which minister and agency will take the lead in dealing with and communicating incidents (incidents with health concerns are led by Department of Human Services, those with environmental concerns by the EPA, and those with operational concerns by South Australia Water).
Reporting requirements for individual agencies are defined, as well as communication requirements and protocols for the agencies, the water incident coordinator, offices of the ministers, and the lead minister.
The testing agency is required to report all Type 1 incidents immediately to the water incident coordinator and provide written confirmation within 24 hours by email or fax. The water incident coordinator ensures that all appropriate agencies have been notified and that relevant ministers are notified by their agencies as soon as possible and in any event within 24 hours.
Type 2 incidents are normally only notified to relevant agencies and generally do not require ministerial advice.
The protocol includes a list of 24-hour contacts for all agencies. Copies of the protocol are provided to all emergency contacts and relevant officers. The protocol is updated and reissued every six months.
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