Drinking Water Inspections – QC

[Jana ErringtonBurns]

#108170

Forum: Private

In article: ‘Posting of OHS Information in the Workplace – Know The Laws Of Your Province’ – there is a clause about drinking water for the province of Quebec.

Posting of OHS Information in the Workplace – Know The Laws Of Your Province

It reads “10. Copy of report of required drinking water test results (OHS Reg., Sec 147)”

Does this pertain to general office environments or is there special circumstances? Additionally, is Quebec the only province this applies to?

[Glenn Demby]

#108171

The best way to answer that question is to give you the actual language of the relevant Regs. You should be able to piece it together from these sources:

1. HERE’S WHAT THE OHS REG SAYS:

OHS Regs: 147. Control: In any establishment supplied with drinking water by a distribution system exempted from the application of Division I of Chapter III, “Quality control of drinking water”, of the Regulation respecting the quality of drinking water (chapter Q-2, r. 40), the employer must have a sample of that water analyzed for the control of total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli bacteria before the water is put at the disposal of the workers for the first time and, subsequently, once a month.

2. HERE’S THE EXEMPTION REFERRED TO:

QUALITY CONTROL OF DRINKING WATER
DIVISION I
WATER SUPPLIED BY DISTRIBUTION SYSTEMS
10. The provisions of this Division do not apply to a distribution system that supplies only one of the following users:
(1) 20 persons or less;
(2) one or more enterprises;
(3) 20 persons or less and one or more enterprises

3. HERE’S WHAT ELSE THE OHS REG SAYS (SECTION 147)

The first and second paragraphs of section 30 of the Regulation respecting the quality of drinking water apply to that sample.

4. HERE’S WHAT SECTION 30 OF THE DRINKING WATER REG SAYS

METHODS, ANALYSES AND RESULTS
30. Every person who is bound by a provision of this Regulation to collect or have collected a water sample for analysis purposes must ensure that the samples are collected and kept in accordance with the provisions of Schedule 4. That person must also ensure that the samples are shipped to the analytical laboratory as soon as possible.
Every person who collects a water sample pursuant to this Regulation must sign the analysis request form that complies with the model provided by the Minister to certify that the sampling, preservation and sending of the sample to the laboratory accredited by the Minister under section 118.6 of the Environment Quality Act (chapter Q-2) have taken place in compliance with the provisions of this Regulation.

5. HERE’S THE REMAINDER OF SECTION 147 OF THE OHS REG.

Upon receiving the analyses results, the employer must keep them posted in a visible location that is easily accessible to workers until the following results are received. In default of such a location, the employer must communicate each of the results to the workers by any appropriate means.

To answer your second question, I believe that Quebec is the only province this applies to because the references are to provincial rather than federal law. However, I’m not an expert in environmental laws.
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I hope this helps. If not, post a follow up and I’ll see what I can do to get you what you need. Glenn Demby, OHS Insider, Editor in Chief

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