Over the last decade, suppliers of drinking water have recognised the
limitations of relying solely on end-product monitoring to ensure safe water
quality and have sought to reinforce their approach by adopting preventative
strategies where risks are proactively identified, assessed and managed. This is
leading to the development of water safety plans; structured ‘route maps’ for
managing risks to water supply, from catchment to consumer taps. This paper
reviews the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) procedure on
which many water safety plans are based and considers its appropriateness in the
context of drinking water risk management. We examine water safety plans in a
broad context, looking at a variety of monitoring, optimisation and risk
management initiatives that can be taken to improve drinking water safety. These
are cross-compared using a simple framework that facilitates an integrated
approach to water safety. Finally, we look at how risk management practices are
being integrated across water companies and how this is likely to affect the
future development of water safety p
