| Version | Version Date | ISO Standard | Controller |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11 | 17/08/2020 | ISO 9001:2015 | David Brown |
| HRC In house | 19/07/2024 | David Brown |
| Operations Manual | Hydro Hub | Flood Watch |
|---|---|---|
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Environmental Data recognise there are many legislative and regulatory requirements of the Regional council and we work hard to fulfil these obligations. We will take all responsible steps to ensure the Health and Safety of our staff and customers while undertaking our duties.
There are many processes required to meet final quality expectations. This document describes all of the management processes required to meet our teams and our customers’ expectations and provides linkages to the technical processes. This document covers the Plan Do Check Act processes that are implemented to ensure that our objectives of the Environmental Data team’s customers are being met.
| Maritime Operation | Drought Watch |
|---|---|
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The following documents are referenced, in whole or in part:
For the purpose of this document, the terms given in ISO 9000:2015 apply. Further to this when referring to specialised hydrological, meteorological or water quality terminology, the terms from the National Environmental Monitoring Standards where they apply. (Standards don’t)
The following terms are also referenced throughout the document:
Departmental the Environmental Data team, which works under this quality system.
Internal (Customer) customers from within Horizons Regional Council.
External (Customer) customers from outside Horizons Regional Council, and may include the general public.
We are located on the first floor of Regional House on Victoria Avenue Palmerston North.
The Environmental Data Team undertakes a range of activities for customers within Horizons Regional Council as well as external customers including the general public, relating to the acquisition and delivery of environmental information. The team carry out work across the territorial limits of the Horizons Regional Council, and includes both field work and office based tasks.
In addition we are involved in projet work such as:
To achieve our customer’s needs, the Environmental Data team’s objectives are established on a project or contractual basis through Service Level Agreements. The Council’s LTP and Annual Plan provide the base objectives / outputs for our team’s activities. This feeds into our service level agreements and work plans to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers.
It is important to acknowledge our day to day operations may be affected by:
These conditions can impact on our customers which in turn will impact on their requirements of our team, and our ability to meet our agreed objectives. We meet regularly with our customers to ensure alignment of our products and services with the customers changing needs.
“To be an organisation recognised for our expertise, innovation, science and leadership in making the region a great place to live work and play.”
“To create opportunities for the Region to grow economically and socially in a way that preserves or enhances agreed environmental and social values.”
“The Environmental Data Team strive to continually meet the councils policies, plans, and statutory obligations.” and meet the on-going requirements of current customers and the fore sable future environmental information needs of the organisation while ensuring efficiency gains are made
Environmental data team to provide products and services to a range of internal and external customers whose work is aligned with the councils Vision, Mission and Objectives.
The Environmental data team recognises that the provision of products are services that do not meet the customers’ requirements creates significant organisational risk and measures and methods of identifying and minimise risk are addressed this document as are opportunities for improvement.
The vast majority of our work comes from internal customers. Some of this data is then released to external parties, and is released on an “as is” basis. Where quality asured data is required the team will endeavour to provide this within the customers agreed timeframe. Where products and services are provided exclusively for an external customer, that customer will enter into an agreement that outlines the specifications for those products and services, prior to the commencement of any work. There is also an expectation that requests for data and / or information from the general public will be provided as soon as possible.
Agreed outputs and time frames for project works outside of the core programme but which is allowed for in the service levels agreements to cover special projects usually covering short term investigations.
Agreements shall cover:
** For low risk work involving less than 40 hours a verbal agreement may be entered into with our customer.
** Risk: Health & Safety, and or financial, and or, loss of reputation, risk of not completing other agreed work.
We shall determine the requirements of our customers. External customers we have contracts with:
When the work requires continuous monitoring (quantity or quality measurements), these data streams are entered into our NEMS spread sheet where we record the current top quality score that the site can achieve, any plans or costs to upgrade, and our missing statistics for the site.
All work carried out by the Environmental Data team is covered by the scope of this quality management manual. Refer to section 4.1 (above) for a list of core activities carried out by our team.
The LTP, annual plan, and our service level agreements and project documents determine the inputs and outputs required of our team.
Our team’s core responsibilities are divided amongst the senior staff on a Portfolio basis. Each Portfolio holder has responsibilities under this quality management system to review applicable national standards and industry best practice. These portfolios holders are also responsible for ensuring the standard operating procedures covering their portfolios are current, and meet the needs of our customers. These procedures must also take into account Health and Safety and the risk to our team and the council. These procedures are then approved at coordinator meetings.
The environmental data team maintain an operations manual covering (set of standard operating procedures) the extent of our work.
Our standard operating procedures outline how we will monitor our processes to ensure compliance.
Quality team meetings (nominally monthly):
CATCHMENT DATA QUALITY POLICY
Our goals and objectives support the imperatives of customer satisfaction, continual improvement, health and safety, cost management as well as technical and operational integrity. Appropriate quality and business management standards are inherent in all of our business activities.
Environmental Data has established a quality policy as documented in section 4 of this document. This is reviewed as part of the annual review process.
b) Reporting, meet with customers
c) David Brown is in charge of the quality management system.
a) actions to address these risks and opportunities
Failure to meet the conditions set out in the service level agreement
Missing records, data quality.
c) Work is assigned to coordinators areas & Portfolios.
d)
a) why changes are needed, review and updating of SOPs, potential implications. Changes to SOPs are notified to all affected staff through email and or team meetings.
Consideration of changes to SOPs at coordinator meetings, and where there are resourcing implications they will be resolved by the manager of Environmental Data.
d) The skill and knowledge of individual Portfolio holders is recognised and in the event of personal changes, these portfolios will be reallocated to the most appropriate staff member. When required any necessary training will be provided.
a) the team has adequate resources to maintain the quality system.
Human resources required to implement the LTP are budgeted
Any infrastructure purchased by the Environmental Data team is purchased in accordance with the Corporate Procurement policy.
Environmental data maintains a preferred instruments suppliers list in order to maximise standardisation of instrumentation. Procurement of instrumentation is usually undertaken via a direct engagement process that is aligned with the corporate procurement policy. Capex requirements are identified through the LTP process.
a) Accommodation is provided by corporate services and is outside of the scope of this quality management system.
b) Core IT infrastructure is provided by corporate (hardware and software) and is outside the scope of this quality management system. Specialist hardware and software is purchased and maintained by the Environmental Data team. Validation and calibration of equipment is documented in SOPs and records are stored in “Hilltop Asset”
c)Vehicles (includes boats, 4WD’s Quads, LUV’s, trailers), are supplied and resourced by corporate services and are outside the scope of this document.
d) Environmental Data maintains its own data collection networks (radio networks, TCP/IP, UDP, Wi-Fi, point to point radio, FTP, and GPRS 3G)
e) Environmental Data infrastructure other than instrumentation are installed and maintained via processes that meet the corporate procurement policy within budgets set by the LTP.
We manage software and data particular to our team key items include:
a) The office facilities are maintained by corporate.
b) The council HR team have policies relating to potential social and physiological impacts on the work being undertaken. Requirements of the “Health and Safety at Work Act 2015” are everybody’s responsibility. The Manager and coordinators have additional responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their staff. The council has comprehensive hazard management plans in place and a Health and safety coordinator.
c) Corporate are reasonable for the suitability of the office working conditions (temperature, lighting, humidity, noise)
The council provide an employees with access to a health nurse and Employee Assistance Programme.
a) Environmental Data team only purchase measuring devices and equipment that are able to meet the customers’ expectations around accuracy. Where possible measuring devices of known reliability, stability, accuracy, that interface with our existing processes and systems are purchased. We will from time to time conduct R&D trials on new technologies whose performance may not be known at the time of purchase. Where possible equipment will be purchased from a list of preferred suppliers, who are known to be able to provide equipment and expertise, aligned with our reliability, stability, and accuracy requirements. While maintaining as small a range of equipment as practical.
We have two weekly reports running from the asset calibration data base, where items have been classified as “Critical” or “Non Critical”. Each asset category in Hilltop Asset has a comment associated with it, either “Report1” or “Report2”. Categories marked “Report1” have been determined critical to compliance with customer expectations or our own standards. Items such as batteries that are not absolutely critical to our product delivery are reported in the Non Critical report. This enables key items that must be calibrated or serviced to be flagged.
The Latest report (generated every Monday) can be found here:
b) Monitoring equipment will be maintained:
a) Standard operating procedures define our calibration and verification procedures. Where there is a national standard covering the measurement or monitoring, our operating procedures will be aligned and conform to this national standard, where required by the customer. NEM’s (National Environmental Monitoring Standards) define accuracy and validation requirements. These standards are reviewed on an on-going basis, and from time to time will require modification or updates to our standard operating procedures.
b) Our instrumentation is identified by a serial or asset number and the location and calibration status is stored in Hilltop Asset software.
c) Our standard operating procedures prevent undocumented calibrations or adjustments.
When a sensor is found to have been adversely affected by calibration or damage, the sensor shall be taken out of service or the calibration will be rectified. Affected data will be deleted or corrected in accordance with our standard operating procedures and quality coded under NEMS to reflect the changes made to the data.
We store:
a) Environmental Data maintain core competency matrix
b) Provide the necessary training:
d) Staff training records are maintained:
a) Undertake team meetings and workshops for juniors and intermediate staff 2 - 3 sessions per year.
a) what we will communicate
b) When to communicate
c) With whom we communicate
Environmental Data have standard operating procedures covering this clause
New or changes to SOPs to be reviewed at coordinator meetings. !!!! need an SOP on changing SOPS !!!!!!!!!!!
a) Key information needed offline will be stored in “hydro sites” folder and this is synced to the field devices to ensure they
a) distribution, access, retrieval and use:
b) storage preservation
c) control of changes
d) retention and disposition
Word smith into correct clause.
Approved suppliers, we used specialised equipment that is only supplied by one supplier.
Calibration services, suppliers, Dave Reid, Steve Packer, Sampling, labs, hire of equipment.
From time to time to keep essential services running: Specialist engineers (structural, electrical) as and when required.
Internal service level agreements
External labour H&S, work experience.
We maintain processes and employ competent service providers to ensure that products and services provided meet specification.
All data produced is quality coded to demonstrate its conformance to specification, or otherwise, and this information is readily available to the customer. Calibration records are retained indefinitely and can be supplied to customers on request.
budgeting human LTP, New equipment tests R&D
Critical Spares
d-e number of gauging’s to meet QC600, Hilltop Asset
maintain and retain records
sensitive material only held by the manager of catchment data read / write access control.
Customer will define processes in SLA’s, project agreements
meetings
b) two level of enquiry walk in’s, website, internal email requests, data requests, external parties “piggy back” on information gained. General public we will supply something of use but not design our programme around these external parties.
d) We store and retain indefinitely all data we collect on behalf of our customers. achieves hts files, horizons servers, assets.
external data of sensitive information.
e) discuss any issues, external data is as is where is with disclaimer
Internal / commercial customers we will provide the most recent data. Noting that data may change in the future as we gain more information
b) calibrations and validations of processes and instrumentation
We will review the request, quality (NEMS), man power (LTP), resourcing
Will not undertake work unless we have the equipment that will meet the accuracy precision resourcing to do the work.
..
Horizons will retain for a period not less than 7 years results of our reviews, and any reguirements for our products and services.
Customer meetings before and or after a change to a programme and relevant changes made to SOPs and service level agreements.
trailing new technology R&D processes. Verification and calibration and reliability checking to provide the customer with options for longer term monitoring options
Website water matters outside of our control, but … word smith.
Hilltop server. QC200 control, LAWA, Metservice
Dave Reid -(Writes up the SOP & design / operation document)
Steve Packer
Susan Packer
Hydronet
Lab contract
Metservice
Ed
NIWA
Genesis Energy Limited
Other regional councils
Met service contract with met gridded rainfall, Hawkes bay, Taranaki, Wellington & Waikato rainfall data flood forecasting on a as is where is basis.
A) 1 SOPs, annual plan, SLA’s
2 accuracy, SOPs NEMS, SLAs, contracts with TDC, Scan Power (Oringi)
Where contracts are entered into with external companies the level of service will be stipulated in the contract.
B) Maintain suitable stock of validation equipment
D) calibration
Monitoring installations will be constructed to enable / deal with
e) job descriptions exist for all positions which describe the scope of the work and minimum qualifications and we provide on-going training for staff as and when necessary.
f) Calibration and verification process for sensors, and the acquired product. Checking site data outputs on a daily (typically most business days)
g)
h)
Where non conformity is found with recent data we will:
Sometimes errors may be discovered in historic data sets which in some cases are over 100 years old. This may change historic achieves, and long term data sets.
We keep our NCR in a databased managed inhouse. This data based is backed up.
Click picture above view current report
Analysis of team efficiency
d) NCR system
e) NCR
f) NCR
We will conduct internal audits reviews as follows:
The following audits will be completed at least annually to meet our annual reporting objectives to council.
| Audit | Frequency | When | By Whom |
|---|---|---|---|
| Management Review | Annually | July | Quentin Gilkison |
| Missing records (KRA) | Six Monthly | Feb / July | David Brown |
| Non Conformances | Annually | July | David Brown |
| Risk Matrix | Annually | July | Brent Watson |
| Data archive report | Annually | July | Brent Watson |
| Data request report | Annually | July | Brent Watson |
The above is a guide as sometimes circumstances will result in an audit not taking place as planned. Horizons will take a risk based approach as to whether we need the interim audits. At least one audit annually will take place.
Stored electronically in Hilltop Asset
Our management review will be carried out throughout the year. As part of this process we will review the previous internal and external reviews and the status of any NCRs or OFI’s rasied. We will look into:
We record noncnformanes as we befome aware of issues. The nonconformance is then looked into and corrective actions put inplace to correct the current nonconformance.
Horizons shall continually improve the suitability, adequacy and effectiveness of the quailty
| Date | Section(s) | Comment | Approved by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30/06/2017 | All | Full rewrite of quality system | Jeff Watson |
| 26/09/2017 | 9.2 | Amended audit frequency, following Telarc audit | David Brown |
| 02/11/2017 | 9.2 | Shifted to new host URL updated links | David Brown |
| 05/09/2018 | All | Minor tidy-up, added flood watch | David Brown |
| 12/09/2018 | 4.2,5.3 | corrections following review | David Brown |
| 24/09/2018 | Risk matrix | Moved to TQM shifted links | David Brown |
| 24/09/2018 | Risk matrix | Moved to TQM shifted links | David Brown |
| 29/10/2018 | Tidy up Sections 5-10 | In consultation with Jeff | David Brown |
| 01/12/2018 | Name Change | Department name changed to Environmental Data | Ged Shirley |
| 14/01/2019 | Tidy up | Manager change | Ged Shirley |
| 26/02/2019 | KPI’s and NEMS | Added graphs and KPI reporting | David Brown |
| 19/08/2019 | Tidy up | Following Management Review | David Brown |
| 9.2 | Changed review cycle to annually | David Brown | |
| 29/08/2019 | Tidy up | Following Telac Audit | David Brown |
| 4.0 | Fixed context “Environmental Data” | David Brown | |
| 9.1 | Removed double up of KPI’s | David Brown | |
| Footer | Added Table of Contents | David Brown | |
| 14/04/2020 | Preamble | Added ‘Hydro Hub’ | David Brown |
| 14/04/2020 | 4.1 | Added ‘ED team’ | David Brown |
| 21/12/2023 | Preamble | Added ‘Jobs for nature’ | David Brown |
| 21/12/2023 | Preamble | Added ‘Maritime’ | David Brown |
| 21/12/2023 | 4.1 | Added ‘Network dashboard’ | David Brown |
| 19/07/2024 | 9.1 | Restructured images updated KPIs | David Brown |