Essential Site Skills is encouraging water companies, contractors and supply chain organisations to review workforce understanding of the regulations governing products and materials used in drinking water systems.
The call follows renewed national focus on drinking water quality, workforce competence and regulatory assurance across the water sector.
The Government’s A New Vision for Water White Paper outlines plans to review and update drinking water regulations more frequently, strengthen scientific and public health input and improve testing capability. EUSR has said the proposed reforms create a sharper regulatory environment in which competence and independent quality assurance will play an increasingly important role.
The Drinking Water Inspectorate’s latest annual report found that 99.97 per cent of regulatory samples from public water supplies in England met the required standards during 2025. However, the Inspectorate also recorded 586 water quality events and highlighted continuing concerns around asset health, treatment works, tanks, service reservoirs and the resilience of drinking water supplies.
Catherine Storer, Executive Director at Essential Site Skills, said:
“The consistently high quality of drinking water in the UK should provide reassurance, but it should never lead to complacency.
“Water companies rely on extensive teams of employees, contractors, suppliers and consultants. Everyone involved in choosing, purchasing, approving or using products that come into contact with drinking water needs to understand the regulations and the part they play in protecting water quality.
“This is not simply about checking whether an individual product appears on an approved list. People must understand where the approval applies, the manufacturer’s instructions and conditions of use, how products can be used together and what records need to be maintained.”
Regulation 31 of the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations requires products, materials and chemicals that come into contact with drinking water to meet the relevant approval requirements and not compromise water quality.
Recent enforcement action has demonstrated the importance of understanding how those requirements apply in practice. In January 2026, the Drinking Water Inspectorate issued an enforcement order relating to products used on a section of pipeline between Lincoln and Grantham.
Although both products held individual Regulation 31 approvals, they had not been approved for use together in the manner applied. The Inspectorate stated that products must be used in accordance with their conditions of approval and the manufacturer’s instructions.
EUSR has previously highlighted growing concern from the Drinking Water Inspectorate about non-compliance. Investigations into customer complaints about the taste and odour of drinking water have identified cases where products were not used according to manufacturers’ guidance or the appropriate tests were not completed before assets returned to service.
Understanding Products for Drinking Water
Essential Site Skills delivers the EUSR Products for Drinking Water course for employees, contractors and consultants involved in selecting, purchasing or using products that come into contact with drinking water.
Developed by EUSR with UK water companies and industry stakeholders, the course covers the scope of the regulations, approved products, conditions of use, treatment chemicals, record keeping and the consequences of non-compliance.
Catherine continued:
“A product being approved does not mean it can automatically be used for every purpose or alongside any other material.
“The course helps people understand the checks that should be made before a product is selected or used, and the importance of following instructions, seeking advice and maintaining appropriate records.”
