Auditing of Drinking Water Products

UK water companies are required by the Water Quality Regulations to use products approved by the Secretary of State for use in contact with drinking water (sometimes known as Regulation 31, Regulation 33 or DWI approval). Manufacturers of products must apply to the Secretary of State for approval. The approval ensures that products do not adversely affect drinking water quality.

Water companies wish to gain assurance that products they are purchasing from these manufacturers are fully compliant with the requirements of the approval, namely that the product and its supporting documentation have not been changed since the approval was granted, and that the supplier is able to obtain the correct raw materials in suitable volumes to ensure a sustained supply.

UK water companies therefore aim to obtain factory production control and quality auditing services to visit and inspect manufacturers of drinking water products who hold Secretary of State approval.

There are ca. 180 suppliers that currently have drinking water products approved by the Secretary of State (sometime known as Regulation 31, Regulation 33 or DWI approval). This approval is used by UK water supply companies to ensure that products do not adversely affect drinking water quality.

It is proposed to conduct audits of suppliers of approved drinking water products to focus on ensuring that conditions of approval are being adhered to. The audit will also assess the ability of the suppliers' supply chains to continue to provide volumes of materials needed, to ensure ongoing product availability without the need to change the composition of the product (and therefore invalidate the approval). The auditor will also advise suppliers on conditions that must be met to retain approval and ensure that applications for reapproval are made in a timely manner.

The auditors will need to:

1. Collate a list of suppliers and products that have approval or have formally applied for approval (and so are in scope to be audited).

2. Prioritise the list developed in step one to account for impact on UK water company operations.

3. Contact and enter into agreement with the organisations to be audited.

4. Carry out Factory Production Control (1+) audits of the products identified in step one in the order identified in step two. Audits should cover as a minimum:

a. Overall quality control

b. Product formulation review

c. Inventory checks to validate the formulation

d. Review of the manufacturer's supplier control

e. Version check of instruction for use (IFU) and other approval related documentation

f. Ensure manufacturers know and understand their obligations under the approval process, are informing the Secretary of State of any changes, and are making applications for reapproval in time.

g. Manage audit corrective actions and provide a final audit report.

Additional Information:

Information on the approval scheme can be found at:

https://www.dwi.gov.uk/drinking-water-products/