ISO 24518:2015 provides
general guidance to water utilities to develop and implement a crisis
management system.ISO 24518:2015 may be applicable to all sizes of public or
private water utilities that want to prepare, respond, and recover from a
crisis. A first-of-its-kind standard, ISO 24518:2015, Activities
relating to drinking water and wastewater services – Crisis management of water
utilities,follows the “Plan-Do-Check-Act†(PDCA) approach to crisis management.
It is designed to ensure water utilities have adequate quantity and quality of
water supply, sanitation, operation of supply and sewage systems, and response
and recovery in emergencies.
The guidelines contained in ISO 24518
can be used by water authorities and departments at various levels, water
corporations and other bodies dealing with water supply, crisis management organizations,
water engineers, and consultants. Its recommendations include the following:
Cope with crisis situations
to be able to ensure water supply and the removal and treatment of wastewater
Cooperate with all the
authorities concerned
Consider the natural
environment as well as the impact on the health and well-being of the
population
Effectively communicate with
the public to mitigate or prevent panic
ISO 24518 was developed by
ISO Technical Committee (TC) 224, Service activities relating to drinking water
supply systems and wastewater systems – Quality criteria of the service and
performance indicators. Thirty-five countries including the United States
participate in the committee’s work, under French (AFNOR) leadership, with
another 20 as observers. U.S. input to TC 224 is coordinated by the American
Water Works Association (AWWA), the ANSI-accredited administrator of the U.S.
Technical Advisory Group (TAG) to the committee. AWWA is an ANSI member and
accredited standards developer.
If a disaster strikes, ecosystems are
vulnerable to health epidemics caused by fast-growing contamination. Natural
catastrophic events such as hurricanes and tsunamis can lead to flooding, which
can threaten lives and communities at critical times when clean and potable
water may not be available. The new international standard will reduce the
likelihood of such scenarios by helping utilities prepare for situations when
the normal supply of potable water or collection and treatment of wastewater
are interrupted as a result of a crisis.
This guideline describes the
fundamentals of a crisis management system, including relevant recommendations
for water utilities.
This guideline deals with
situations where the normal supply of potable water or collection and treatment
of wastewater are interrupted because of a crisis situation. It enumerates
steps that should be taken in preparing the organization for a crisis situation
(pre-crisis phase). It then provides general International Standards as to how
a crisis should be dealt with (the crisis phase). Guidelines on re-establishing
services (post-crisis phase) and on drawing conclusions and revising procedures
for future events follow.
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