A Dam Safety Management System (DSMS) is an approach to managing your dam’s safety which encompasses all organisational elements associated with the dam. All owners of declared dams in NSW must have a DSMS in place.
The DSMS is the primary way to ensure that potential risks to life, property, the environment, or public welfare are minimised from the dam’s design phase, through to its construction, operation and maintenance and decommissioning.
A DSMS should clearly indicate the key procedures relating to the:
- assessment of the Individual and Societal Risk Rating
- operation and maintenance plan
- emergency plan
There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to a DSMS. A DSMS should be tailored to each dam and organisation.
But your DSMS must comply with the regulations in full and include a dam safety management system document which covers the following key elements:
- risk assessment and management procedures
- incident reporting measures
- how and when safety reviews are conducted
- procedures for notifying changes to the dam/s
- how the DSMS is compliant with the ISO 55001:2014 Standards
- the name/contact details of the individual responsible for ensuring compliance with the DSMS (i.e., dam owner)
- If the dam hasn’t been built (a proposed dam), the DSMS must be developed at the dam’s design stage.
- If the dam is already built, a DSMS should already be in place.
- Developing a DSMS involves a systematic analysis and evaluation of all aspects of the design, construction, operations, maintenance, processes, and systems (affecting dam safety).
Key resources
Each DSMS must include a dam specific risk management framework that is consistent with the regulations and includes: a hazard identification process, risk analysis, risk evaluation and treatment processes.
The hazard identification process identifies all foreseeable hazards to the safety of the dam including, but not limited to: flood and seismic events, internal erosion, seepage, the stability of the dam through all possible conditions, sabotage or vandalism, fire, mechanical, electrical or automated system failure and human factors.
The risk analysis process must use an evidence based quantitative methodology that identifies and analyses the potential failure modes, the effects potential failures may have on the system, how to avoid failures, and how to mitigate the effects of any failures on the system.
The risk evaluation process prioritises the order in which risks must be mitigated, by ranking each risk’s importance in relation to reducing the dam’s overall safety risk.
The application of the risk framework must be presented in a risk report for each dam at least every 5 years, (or during any design phase or major change). The report must follow the risk management framework outlined in clause 14 of the Dams Safety Regulation 2019.
The risk report needs to state the societal risk rating and the highest individual risk rating of the dam, calculated in accordance with the societal and individual risk rating methodology. These calculations need to be signed off by a competent person as defined in the legislation.
The report also needs to explain how the dam owner will protect the dam from each failure mode, the decisions about which risk treatments will be used - and when, a clear demonstration that the risks have been reduced so far as is reasonably practicable (including any cost-benefit analyses undertaken to support this) and identify whether the dam is above or below the safety threshold.
What to look out for
A safety review assesses the safety of the dam, and comprises, where relevant, a detailed study of structural, hydraulic, hydrologic and geotechnical design aspects and of the records and reports from risk reports and surveillance activities
A DSMS needs to include the procedures for carrying out a safety review (at least every 15 years). A dam safety review is a systematic analysis and evaluation of all elements of the design, construction, operation, and maintenance processes influencing the safety of the dam over a 15-year period.
ISO 55001 is an asset management system that helps dam owners to manage all elements associated with their dam throughout its lifecycle; allowing dam owners to achieve greater control over the day-to-day activities associated with their dam and reduce overall risk.
The ISO 55001 Standards assist dam owners in the establishment, implementation, maintenance, and improvement of their dam.
The procedures within a DSMS must be compliant with the ISO 55001 Standards as outlined in clause 13 of the Dams Safety Regulation 2019.
What to look out for
Key Resources
An operations and maintenance plan must be in place for declared dams in NSW.
The operations and maintenance plan should include:
- the preventive measures to address the risks associated with operating and maintaining the dam under normal, abnormal and extreme loading operation conditions.
- key dam operating processes and limits, maintenance procedures and schedules, and documentation methods necessary to demonstrate proper operation and maintenance of a dam.
- the procedures for reporting, to DSNSW, the types of incidents listed in clause 19 of the Dams Safety Regulation 2019.
- the surveillance reporting structures and procedures that are in place for a dam. Surveillance reports assist dam owners in monitoring and evaluating the operation of their dam and addressing any potential risk.
What to look out for
Key resources
Surveillance of embankment dams course
Surveillance of concrete dams – routine inspections course
Dams Safety Regulation 2019 clause 19
Podcasts: Dam Safety Insights
Webinar: Operations and Maintenance Plans for Declared dams.
All declared dams are required to have an emergency plan.
An emergency plan is a tool the dam owner, emergency management groups and local government/s will use during an emergency event aimed at protecting people and property.
The emergency plan provides the processes and procedures that will enable a dam owner to respond collaboratively with emergency management groups, local government(s) and emergency agencies to manage the consequences of an event.
Emergency plans for low or very low consequence category dams may be comparatively simple documents that reflect the fact that people are not at risk if the dam fails.
Further information regarding the structure of an emergency plan can be found in clause 10 of the Dams Safety Regulation 2019, as well as the Emergency Plans Guideline.
What to look out for
Key Resources
Webinar: Emergency plans for declared dams
Guideline: Emergency plans
Fact sheet: Finding a consultant to help prepare dam safety reports
For information about emergency exercises, see Are you emergency prepared?
DSMS must be reviewed annually by the dam owner to ensure it is still current and effective.
Key Resources