| #Q001 | monitoring | operational | guidance | Analytical Testing and Cleaning of HVAC Systems | other | This includes analytical testing by a competent person on a regular basis of the HVAC system cooling towers and other areas of concern, and the use of appropriate cleaners and disinfectants. | Applicable for eliminating and controlling the hazard of Legionella growth, especially during spring and summer. | high |
| #Q002 | operational | health | recommended | Respiratory Protection for Aerosolizing Activities | other | To avoid potential airborne exposure while performing activities that may aerosolize the contaminated water, including purging, maintenance, cleaning, disinfection, or water sampling processes, it is recommended that the person(s) wear appropriate respiratory protection as per the CSA-Z94.4-18 Selection, use, and care of respirators. | While performing activities that may aerosolize contaminated water. | high |
| #Q003 | administrative | operational | mandatory | Written Instructions for HVAC Systems | other | instructions for the operation, inspection, testing, cleaning, and maintenance of HVAC systems must be written and reviewed by a qualified person who shall take into account CSA Guideline Z204-94, entitled Guideline for Managing Air Quality in Office Buildings, dated June 1994 | As required under the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations (COHSR), Part II, Division III. | high |
| #Q004 | reporting | operational | mandatory | Appointment of Qualified Person and Event Reporting | other | the employer must then appoint a qualified person to put the instructions into action and to complete a written report about each inspection, cleaning, testing, and maintenance event | | high |
| #Q005 | corrective_action | health | mandatory | Development of Investigation Procedure | other | employers must have a qualified person develop an investigation procedure for events where a worker’s health or safety may be harmed or at risk of exposure by the air quality, such as an exposure to Legionella | | high |
| #Q006 | administrative | operational | mandatory | Guideline Reference for Investigation Procedure | other | the qualified person shall take into account the Health Canada publication 93-EHD-166, Indoor Air Quality in Office Buildings: A Technical Guide when writing an investigation procedure. | When writing an investigation procedure. | high |
| #Q007 | administrative | operational | recommended | Consultation of Recommended Publications | other | It is also recommended that the qualified person consult the following publications: | When developing an investigation procedure or managing building water systems. | high |
| #Q008 | reporting | reporting | mandatory | Deleterious Substance Deposit Notification | aquatic life | the federal government must be notified immediately upon the deposit or likely deposit of a deleterious substance out of the normal course of events. | Upon the deposit or likely deposit of a deleterious substance out of the normal course of events. | high |
| #Q009 | prohibition | treatment | mandatory | Prohibition of Acutely Lethal Effluent | aquatic life | prohibit the discharge of effluent that is acutely lethal to certain freshwater and marine organisms | | high |
| #Q010 | design | operational | mandatory | Justification of Water Body Use for Mine Waste | aquatic life | it must be demonstrated that this approach is the most appropriate option from an environmental, technical, economic and socio-economic perspective. | When seeking to use a water body frequented by fish for mine waste disposal. | high |
| #Q011 | operational | operational | mandatory | Fish Habitat Compensation Plan | aquatic life | The owner or operator of a mine is required to develop and implement a fish habitat compensation plan to offset the loss of fish habitat | As a result of the use of a fish-frequented water body for mine waste disposal. | high |
| #Q012 | administrative | operational | mandatory | Financial Guarantee for Habitat Compensation | aquatic life | must also provide an irrevocable letter of credit or equivalent financial guarantee to ensure that funds are in place to implement all elements of the fish habitat compensation plan. | | high |
| #Q013 | administrative | reporting | recommended | Education and Outreach Programs | drinking water | Water utilities should also have education and outreach programs to make consumers aware of how water quality can deteriorate within residential and building plumbing systems. | | high |
| #Q014 | monitoring | operational | recommended | Multi-Parametric Risk Management Strategies | drinking water | water utilities and building owners/managers should have appropriate risk management strategies that utilize multiple parameters to assess the performance of drinking water treatment and/or distribution operations. | | high |
| #Q015 | monitoring | operational | recommended | Subsurface Source Assessment Requirements | drinking water | Assessments for subsurface sources should include, at a minimum, a hydrogeological assessment, an evaluation of well integrity and a survey of activities and physical features in the area (Health Canada 2019b, 2019c). | Applicable for subsurface sources assessments. | high |
| #Q016 | treatment | treatment | recommended | Biological Stability Production Goal | drinking water | Water utilities should therefore aim to produce biologically stable water to minimize the potential for problems to occur in distribution and premise plumbing systems (see Sections A.3.3 and A.3.4) (Health Canada, 2022). | | high |
| #Q017 | operational | treatment | recommended | Disinfectant Residual Maintenance | drinking water | maintain an effective disinfectant residual and take preventive/corrective actions when low disinfectant residuals occur, particularly during warm water temperature conditions when biofilm growth accelerates; | Particularly during warm water temperature conditions. | high |
| #Q018 | operational | operational | recommended | Distribution System Cleaning and Maintenance | drinking water | keep the distribution system clean by removing biofilm, loose deposits and sediment from watermains and storage facilities (e.g., use of appropriate flushing and cleaning techniques); | Key distribution system operational and maintenance practice. | high |
| #Q019 | operational | health | recommended | Premise Plumbing Temperature Control | drinking water | keeping temperatures of cold and hot water systems outside of the ideal range for microorganism growth (e.g., cold water less than 20°C, hot water tank temperature greater than 60°C; hot water lines at distal points ideally greater than 55°C); | Applicable to building owners and managers for plumbing systems. | high |
| #Q020 | administrative | operational | recommended | Climate Change Risk Integration | drinking water | water utilities and building owners/managers should integrate the risks associated with climate change into their management strategies to maximize the reliability, robustness and resilience of their water systems. | | high |
| #Q021 | monitoring | operational | recommended | Source Water Nutrient Characterization | drinking water | surface and subsurface sources should be characterized with regard to organic and inorganic nutrient concentrations | As part of source water protection assessments. | high |
| #Q022 | operational | treatment | mandatory | Treatment Plant Operational and Performance Elements | drinking water | Important elements related to drinking water treatment include: optimize treatment performance for turbidity and natural organic matter removal; properly apply primary disinfection technologies to meet appropriate CT... or IT... requirements; minimize nutrient concentrations in treated water and have a good understanding of their concentrations in the distribution system; optimize treatment to minimize the amount of scaling and/or corrosion in the distribution system; properly apply secondary disinfection technologies (i.e., free chlorine or monochloramine) for residual maintenance in the distribution system; conduct performance testing using multiple parameters (e.g., disinfectant residual, microbiological indicators, pH, turbidity); provide operator training to assure the effectiveness of the water safety plan at all times. | Designated as important elements for controlling risks associated with pathogens. | high |
| #Q023 | operational | operational | mandatory | Distribution System Operational Practices | drinking water | Key distribution system operational and maintenance practices include: use proper construction materials; manage water age and the effects of temperature; minimize the potential for contaminant entry from external sources (e.g., maintain positive pressure, implement cross-connection/backflow control programs, practice strict hygiene during mains constructions and repairs); conduct performance testing using multiple parameters (e.g., disinfectant residual, microbiological indicators, biological stability indicators, pH, pressure, temperature, turbidity); and provide operator training to assure the effectiveness of the water safety plan at all times. | | high |
| #Q024 | administrative | reporting | recommended | Building Management Jurisdictional Consultation | other | building owners/managers should contact the responsible authority in the affected jurisdiction to confirm if specific requirements will apply to their system (e.g., cooling tower registry). | | high |
| #Q025 | monitoring | health | mandatory | Private Well Inspection and Microbiological Testing | drinking water | For residential-scale systems and private wells, regular physical inspection to identify deficiencies and testing of the water system (e.g., for E. coli and total coliforms) to confirm the microbiological quality of the water are important. | | high |
| #Q026 | operational | health | recommended | Safe Nasal Rinsing Procedures | drinking water | individuals should ensure that they conduct nasal rinses using water that has been boiled and cooled, or distilled water. | Applicable for prevention of Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM). | high |
| #Q027 | monitoring | unknown | recommended | Source Water Aerosol Risk Assessment | drinking water | It is important that risks from both land-based and aerosol-generating activities (e.g., spray irrigation, pressure washers) be considered in the source water assessment. | As part of a source-to-tap or water safety plan approach. | high |
| #Q028 | operational | operational | recommended | Building Water Management Plans Best Practice | other | Building water management plans are the recommended best practice for building owners/managers. | | high |
| #Q029 | design | health | recommended | Plumbing Control - Nutrient Limitation | drinking water | Important elements of control strategies for plumbing systems include: limiting nutrient levels through an emphasis on system design and materials; | Applicable for maintaining microbiological control in premise plumbing systems. | high |
| #Q030 | operational | health | recommended | Plumbing Control - Stagnation Minimization | drinking water | Important elements of control strategies for plumbing systems include: minimizing areas of low flow/stagnation; | Applicable for maintaining microbiological control in premise plumbing systems. | high |
| #Q031 | operational | health | recommended | Plumbing Control - Aerosol Reduction | drinking water | Important elements of control strategies for plumbing systems include: reducing the formation and transmission of contaminated aerosols from system components such as cooling towers, showers, faucets, hot tubs and humidifiers. | Applicable for maintaining microbiological control in premise plumbing systems. | high |
| #Q032 | design | operational | recommended | Mixing Valve Positioning | drinking water | Mixing valves should be positioned as close as possible to the point of use and provide access for maintenance and cleaning (WHO, 2007, NASEM, 2020). | | high |
| #Q033 | administrative | health | recommended | Contact Lens Hygiene Guidance | other | Individuals in the home who wear contact lenses should also follow guidance from their eye care providers on proper lens handling, cleaning and wear (CDC, 2017b). | | high |
| #Q034 | operational | treatment | recommended | Chlorine Residual for Naegleria fowleri Control | drinking water | Maintaining a minimum free chlorine residual of 0.5 mg/L throughout the distribution system is recommended for the control of N. fowleri in vulnerable drinking water systems (NHMRC, NRMMC, 2011; Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, 2013; Bartrand et al., 2014). | In vulnerable drinking water systems where the temperature continually exceeds 25°C. | high |
| #Q035 | treatment | treatment | recommended | Accredited Device Certification Recommendation | drinking water | Where treatment is necessary, Health Canada recommends that consumers use devices certified by an accredited certification body as meeting the appropriate NSF International (NSF)/American National Standards Institute (ANSI) drinking water treatment unit standards. | Applicable to residential-scale systems and private wells where treatment is necessary. | high |
| #Q036 | monitoring | operational | recommended | Site-Specific Risk Assessment for Building Monitoring | other | environmental monitoring at individual facilities should be informed by a site-specific risk assessment as part of a Water Management Plan (HSE, 2013b; CDC, 2017a; ASHRAE, 2018). | Applicable to building water systems and their environmental monitoring programs. | high |
| #Q037 | operational | health | recommended | Electric Storage-Type Water Heater Setting | other | The NPC further specifies that electric storage-type water heaters should be pre-set to a temperature of 60°C as a result of the temperature stratification that can occur with this type of heater. | Requirement specified by the National Plumbing Code (NPC) for electric storage-type heaters. | high |
| #Q038 | administrative | operational | recommended | Professional Consultation for Building Disinfection | drinking water | A water treatment professional should be consulted before applying any supplemental disinfection. | Applicable when building owners/managers are considering on-site disinfection technologies for Legionella control. | high |
| #Q039 | prohibition | treatment | recommended | Monochloramine Usage Restriction | drinking water | Monochloramine should not be used for primary disinfection due to its low oxidation potential; monochloramine is recommended only for secondary disinfection (i.e., to maintain a disinfectant residual in the distribution system). | Applicable to primary disinfection in drinking water treatment. | high |
| #Q040 | administrative | operational | recommended | Climate Change Forecast Consultation | drinking water | The responsible authority should be consulted to discuss relevant forecast scenarios [related to climate change impacts on water utilities and building water systems]. | When integrating climate change risks into management strategies. | high |
| #Q041 | administrative | operational | recommended | Private Well Jurisdictional Guidance | drinking water | Specific guidance on construction, operation, maintenance and testing should be obtained from the responsible drinking water authority in the affected jurisdiction [for private wells]. | Applicable to residential-scale systems and private wells. | high |
| #Q042 | operational | operational | recommended | Secondary Disinfectant Residual Balancing | drinking water | The choice of disinfectant residual should effectively balance concomitant water quality objectives related to: 1) microbial species (e.g., Legionella, mycobacteria); 2) water chemistry; 3) disinfection by-product concentrations; and 4) the complexity of the distribution system. | When selecting a secondary disinfectant for residual maintenance in the distribution system. | high |