Integrated Safety, Environment & Quality Policy
To achieve our purpose, we are committed to:
- delivering high quality water and sewage services
- providing a safe and healthy work environment
- protecting physical infrastructure and natural assets.
We take an integrated approach to safety, environment, and quality management. Making informed decisions that consider impacts across all these factors is crucial to achieve our purpose. We take a proactive and collaborative approach with regulators to ensure that our actions not only meet legislative and regulatory requirements but also enhance operational efficiency, reduce risks, and promote continual improvement.
Delivery of drinking water and sewage services
We deliver safe, high-quality drinking water and sewage services using our quality management system. This ensures consistency in established processes to maintain service reliability – even as the climate changes, meet legislative and regulatory requirements, and continuously improve operations.
We are committed to maintaining the highest standards through rigorous testing, infrastructure investment, and staff training. By integrating innovation and best practices, we enhance efficiency, minimise environmental impact, and ensure compliance with industry regulations.
Caring for our customers is at the heart of everything we do. It shapes our commitment to delivering exceptional service and striving to exceed expectations at every opportunity. We actively listen to our customers and respond to their needs. We continually search for ways to enhance their experience so that every interaction is positive, seamless, and reflects our high standards of quality and care.
Enabling Safety and Wellness
We commit to maintaining a safe and healthy work environment which supports wellbeing, eliminates hazards, minimises health and safety risks and prevents work‑related injury and illness.
We provide opportunities for employees and other interested parties and their health and safety representatives to be consulted and participate in matters relating to safety and wellbeing which may directly affect them.
Leading for our environmental future
We are committed to acting for a cleaner, greener, healthier Melbourne being caretakers for current and future generations. We rely on the environment to provide high quality drinking water and we recognise our role in protecting this precious resource.
We are committed to reducing our environmental impact by minimising resource use, eliminating carbon emissions, and adopting a circular economy. Our goal is to restore and protect ecosystems, improve biodiversity, and reduce waste and pollution. We will actively review our environmental footprint, impacts of climate change, and collaborate with partners to drive broader positive change.
Certification
We ensure our business processes are effective, suitable and fit for purpose by regularly testing them through independent assessment against multiple internationally recognised certifications:
- Workplace health and safety is managed through our Occupational Health and Safety Management System, certified to ISO 45001
- Environmental stewardship is embedded in our operations through our Environmental Management System, certified to ISO 14001.
- Our Quality Management System is certified to ISO 9001, providing consistent and efficient service delivery. This is supplemented by specific standards for
- Drinking Water – we are certified to Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) ensuring the delivery of safe, high-quality drinking water.
- Sewage Quality – we are certified to ISO 22000, ensuring the safety and quality of sewage treatment processes.
- Asset Management – we align our asset management processes to ISO 55000 to ensure optimal asset management, efficiency and sustainability.
Our Management System
The objectives of our management system are to:
- Establish, maintain and improve processes to deliver on our commitments and to identify and manage both risks and opportunities affecting the conformity of our activities, products, and services.
- Ensure we take an integrated approach to decision making and establishing measurable performance objectives and targets, and to monitor progress against the targets to ensure continual improvement and to promote innovation.
- Meet all legislative and other compliance obligations applying to our activities including health and safety, environment, climate resilience and sustainability, and water industry customer service obligations.
- Regularly review, evaluate, and verify performance through audits and workplace inspections to drive improvement.
- Ensure employees and other interested parties are made aware of and understand the integrated policy, procedures and processes through relevant training, supervision and/or provision of information.
- Continually improve the effectiveness of our integrated management system, having regard to the needs and expectations of our employees, visitors, customers, delivery partners, First Peoples, and other interested parties.
Roles and Responsibilities
Our Board members provide leadership and governance by setting the strategic vision and ensuring alignment with our purpose and regulatory obligations. They provide oversight that the policy is effective and achieving its intended purpose.
Our executives ensure that the policy is effectively implemented and continuously improved. They oversee the integration of safety, environmental, and quality considerations into corporate decision-making. They allocate resources to support policy implementation and continuous improvement.
Senior management is responsible for embedding safety, quality, and environmental priorities within day-to-day operations. They ensure accountability for compliance with relevant legislation, standards, and best practices.
All employees and delivery partners play a crucial role in upholding our commitment to safety, quality, and environmental stewardship. They are responsible for adhering to policies, procedures, and work instructions that ensure safe and high-quality service delivery.
Policy Review
This policy is reviewed every two years to take account of any applicable legislative, regulatory and customer requirements and changes in work activity.
Authorisation
The Board approved the Integrated Safety, Environment & Quality policy at the Board of Directors meeting on 31 March 2025.
| Version | Summary of changes | Authorisation |
| Clarified Safety, Environment, Quality policy callouts, added Certification section and roles section. | Authorised by YVW Board of Directors Meeting dated: 31/03/2025 |