Water Quality Awareness 101 19 | P a g e 12. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) CONSULTANTS IT consultants engaged to work on drinking water systems Engineers, designers and personnel involved in the planning of construction and changes within drinking water treatment facilities Water utility management system representatives Modern drinking water systems in Australia are controlled and monitored using some type of technology/computer software. Within water treatment/supply systems, there are often Critical Control Points (CCPs) for the monitoring and safe supply of drinking water. Information Technology plays an important role in maintaining/monitoring these CCPs. Changes to CCPs or system monitoring and controls require careful management by water utilities; however, it is possible for inadvertent changes to be introduced. One of the most common ways that this can occur is through software introductions, upgrades and maintenance. 12.1.1 Issues Monitoring set points and CCPs being inadvertently changed without notification or tracking Introduced software bypassing critical limit applications within existing systems Impacts from set point changes that have not been fully assessed to identify all potential risks that could result from the changes IT personnel who have insufficient knowledge of the ongoing operational requirements of drinking water quality Incorrect logic controlling the key elements of a drinking water system 12.1.2 Solutions Conducting detailed inductions for personnel and the completion of risk assessments prior to working on any drinking water treatment system electronics Lock down protocols to limit access to drinking water control systems Careful assessment of the software interactions and the ramifications of CCP set point changes Security software to monitor interactions and logins, including password login protection Procedures for the monitoring and follow up of CCP set point changes